Of Blackest Hearts
by Darthlane
Summary: What happened the night Harry's parents were murdered? From Sirius's point of view. I do not own Harry Potter.
1. Chapter 1- The Visit

**Hello all to the first chapter of this story! This is my first foray into the Wizarding World, but I hope you like it. I tried to put the events of October 31, 1981 and November 1, 1981 in order as best I could from Sirius's point of view. Hope you guys like it. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

"This is so much fun!" The girl screamed as she was tossed into the air by a tall, handsome man with shoulder length black hair. Soon enough gravity reclaimed her and she landed in his arms. Her shiny blonde hair bounced as she was caught, covering her amazingly bright blue eyes. "Why don't you come over more often? You're so much fun!"

"I'm sorry." Sirius Black said softly as he set her gently back to the ground. "I wish I could, my dear, believe me. But I can't come visit you all the time. There are other people, my friends, that need me to visit them too." He put a hand on her shoulder. "Do you understand?"

She frowned. For a moment her eyes flashed purple before returning to blue. "But you have to stay here!" She complained, crossing her arms adorably.

"I'm sorry. Believe me, I want to stay. But I can't." He sighed, then added, "How about I make you a promise? If you can be as good as you can for your mom and dad over there, I'll be back before you know it. Does that seem fair?"

The girl stared at the ground considering his words. She held up a hand and all of her fingers except her pinky finger curled up to a close. "Pinky promise?"

Sirius smiled and connected his pinky finger with hers. "Pinky promise."

Another man walked over. He was a few years older than Sirius, but looked as though he could still be attending Hogwarts. He smiled at his daughter. "Come, Nymphadora. It's time to eat dinner." Nymphadora glumly marched away towards her house. She waved to Sirius before disappearing from sight behind the door.

"It's a good thing you dropped by, Sirius." The man said softly, his smile waning. "I fear she is far too lonely. The unpredictability of her being a Metamorphmagus has scared all of the nearby Muggle children, so she doesn't really have friends. They all think she is a freak. On top of that no one else from Andromeda's side will acknowledge we even exist. Andromeda has taken it really hard, and poor Nymph hasn't seen any of her cousins but you. You visiting means a lot to us."

"I'm just sorry I can't stay longer, Ted." Sirius said. "You truly do have a great family, and a wonderful daughter. It's just a shame my family is too pigheaded to realize it. Bastards, the lot of them. They don't know what they're missing."

"Thank you, Sirius." Ted said sincerely. "That means more to hear than you could possibly know. Nymph needs a friend."

"I was speaking from the heart, Ted. Your family is great, loads better than mine." Sirius said. He put his hands into his pocket, pulling out keys. "I'm sorry but I must be going. Peter never returned my owl so James said I have to go check up on him. You never know what might be the problem with him these days." He shook Ted's hand. "Give Andromeda my love. It's a shame she has to work at these hours."

Ted shrugged. "Just the times, I suppose. See you around, Sirius."

Sirius walked to the massive motorcycle parked just outside the fence of the Tonks property. He started it and it rumbled to life, far louder than any lion. He waved to Ted before hitting the gas, jerking forward. Once he had built up some speed he flicked a switch with his thumb and the giant bike lurched, bouncing upwards. Suddenly it was in the air, floating off the ground. Sirius pulled back on the handed and the motorcycle climbed higher into the air. Soon enough he was high into the sky, capable of seeing the lights of homes and cars in all directions. He turned north, and he was on his way to visit Peter Pettigrew. He cast one last look at his cousin's house. It was a cute, small little thing. Sirius liked it, because it kind of reminded him of James and Lily's place back in Godric's Hollow. Both were nice places to raise a kid.

Sirius let his thoughts melt away for a moment as he soared through the air. He never felt as free as when he did when he was flying. Bike, broomstick, even carpet, it didn't matter. It just felt amazing. Sure, he wasn't as good a flyer as James, but that didn't mean he liked the skies any less. It was so empty up here, without the troubles that plagued the world down below. All that was up here was clouds. Just clouds. It was so free, and so peaceful.

At around fifteen minutes later Sirius saw the small cottage Wormtail had called home for the past two years. It was a pathetic thing, breaking apart and only big enough for a single person. Or rat, Sirius thought wryly. Even so, it was situated on one of the most beautiful little hills Sirius had ever seen. A short thing, covered in flowers. Or at least it had been when he last saw it. Now the flowers were withering away, a poor reflection of the hills previous splendor. "You've really let this place go, Wormtail." Sirius muttered. This wasn't exactly a foreboding sign, although sad. Peter had never been the most cleanly or vigilant of people, and Sirius could easily see him forgetting that he had flowers to care for. Hell, Sirius would have probably forgotten them too in his place.

Peter was one of Sirius's closest friends. Peter, James, Remus, and himself had all grown up together as Gryffindors in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. James and Sirius had become mates almost instantly, despite how different they were. Then they had collected Peter, who practically worshiped the two. Sirius wouldn't lie, he had liked that. Remus had become included a little while later, only gradually becoming the friends with the others. He had always been like that, only grudgingly getting involved in the antics the other three pulled. They had been a close group, especially after Remus's secret became apparent. After a few weeks of knowing their friend, Sirius and James had noticed that Remus had some very strange peculiarities. Ever curious, they set about discovering what Remus's secret was. Amazingly enough, it turned out that Remus had been none other than a werewolf.

Remus had been devastated when his three friends had found out. He was frightened that now that they knew he was a werewolf- one of the most dangerous creatures in the Wizarding World- they would shun him. But Sirius knew what it was like to be different. He had spent his entire life opposing his parents and their values. He had hated everything about them. Still, to this day, the greatest memory Sirius had was the day he had placed the Sorting Hat on his head, and had thought, _not Slytherin, not Slytherin, not Slytherin_. To his enormous relief he had been placed in Gryffindor instead. It was the last time he had ever cried. He had made sure James and the others didn't see, but he could not deny that he had cried at that moment, at the Gryffindor table, thankful to his core. So, knowing what it was like, Sirius had told his friend Remus that he didn't care if he was different. He would accept him. James had quickly agreed, and Peter soon after that. "There's nothing wrong with you." James had said to Remus. "You just have a little problem. A little furry problem." They had all laughed at that, their friendship cemented for life. Later that night, after James and Peter had gone to bed, Remus had hugged Sirius and thanked for what he had said, what he had done. Sirius had assured his werewolf friend that he would stand with him, that the four of them would always be there for each other. "In the end all we have is each other." Sirius had said that night. "I'm never going to let you guys go. I can promise you that." Thus the Marauders had been born.

Sirius and the others, so Remus wouldn't be alone on full moons, had committed themselves to learning the art of animal transformation. It had taken years, but Sirius had become Padfoot, the dog, James had become Prongs, the stag, and Peter had become Wormtail, the rat. Together, the Mauraders had become the biggest troublemakers Hogwarts had ever seen. James liked to brag that they had found every secret passage the ancient school held. As a trophy of their accomplishments, and as a guide to future troublemakers, they had created the Marauders' Map, an in depth guide to Hogwarts.

The group had remained just as close after graduation, and had even eventually included Lily, James's wife, among their number. Sirius was ashamed to say that she wasn't officially added until after she and James were married. Now all that was left was to add little Harry when he was ready.

"In the end all we have is each other." Sirius muttered as he landed the bike near the fence. He got off the mountain of a bike and walked to Peter's front gate. Like the house it was in poor shape, rusted and eroding. A kid dressed up as a mummy ran by, squealing as he ran down to the next house. "Oh yeah, tonight is Halloween." He said to himself. He glanced at the sun. It was going to be dusk soon, and the bulk of the trick or treating would begin soon. It would probably be best to make this visit quick, so no Muggles would see his bike. In and out. Just a checkup.

Sirius approached the rotting door and knocked. "Absolutely filthy." Sirius muttered. "Mum would have a fit if she saw this." He knocked again. "Peter! Open up!" Still nothing. He pounded the door, irritated. "Peter! James and I were worried. I came by to see how you were doing. Are you in there?" No answer.

Sirius gave up and pulled out his wand. "Alohomora." He chanted, pointing it at the door. He barely heard a small click. He kicked the door and it flew open. "Lumos!" He said waving his wand out.

It was just a single room, with a bed in one corner and a toilet in another. Trash covered the floor like a fine coat of dust, and that was probably a good thing. There was no telling how disgusting the floor underneath could be. Sirius waved his wand back and forth, revealing nothing but rats. Unfortunately none of these happened to be the one he was looking for.

"Damn." Sirius swore. "Damn damn damn damn damn!" He double checked, as if his portly friend could hide in here somehow. But Wormtail was gone. "Damn, Peter! Where are you?"

Perhaps he was out getting groceries. Or a drink. But Sirius doubted it. Judging by the smell Peter hadn't been here in a while, at least not in a few days.

But why was he gone? Had there been a struggle? Sirius checked for any signs that might have been anyone else here. There weren't any scorch marks on the wall where a spell might have hit, and the room seemed fairly undisturbed. No, Wormtail had left on his own two feet.

But why? And why wouldn't he have told Sirius and James?

A thought pushed forward from the back of Sirius's head. A treacherous, paranoid little thought. It presented a reason why Peter might have left, and why he hadn't told anyone. Sirius shut it down before it could grow. No, it was impossible. Peter was their friend. He would never betray them. Or would he? He was famous for being quite the rat.

In fact, Peter would be in the perfect position. Sirius's blood chilled. No. He didn't want to believe it. It couldn't be true.

Sirius rushed back out the door. He had to make sure he was wrong. That Peter was truly their friend. Sirius's hunch would hopefully turn out to be nothing but paranoia. But just in case...

Sirius hoped to God he was wrong. Because if he wasn't, then his friends were in danger. Grave danger. And it would all be Sirius's fault.

 **Well how was it? Let me know in the reviews! And I know it's a little much to ask of you so soon, but I would have to inquire that if you liked this and happen to have watched The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, or Gravity Falls, or anything future me might have put out, I would love it if you checked out my other works. And I'm good friends with Santa (He's always watching!) so I'll know if you don't. You have been warned. But most importantly you must turn to the dark side (we have cookies).**

 **-Darthlane**


	2. Chapter 2- The Keeper

**Welcome back! I am quite thankful to anyone who has read the first chapter and even more thankful to anyone who decided to continue here. It means a lot. But I wont take up any more of your time with this author's note! Continue on to the story! Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

 **Flashback:**

" 'Ello James, Lily." Sirius said as he entered the cluttered office. "Good to see you again."

"Hello, Sirius." Lily said, Harry against her shoulder. James nodded and gave a salute.

Sirius pulled his chair back from the large desk so that he could put he could put his feet up. He leaned back, enjoying himself. He didn't need to look to know Lily was giving him a disapproving look as she held little Harry. Out of the corner of his eye Sirius saw James glancing back and forth from his wife to his best friend, as though unsure if he wanted to join Sirius and put up his legs too. Sirius wanted to tell James that it would be ok to be stupid for a while, but he knew it was a lie. Lily would kill them both if they kept setting bad examples for Harry.

So they waited, and they kept waiting. Sirius checked his watch. Barely a minute had passed, but it felt like twenty. Damn.

Dumbledore had invited the three of them to his office on this cold, dark day. All he had said was that he needed to tell them something very important. But if it was so important, where was he? As much as Sirius loved being back at Hogwarts, and as cool as Dumbledore's office happened to be, with its plethora of contraptions and strange objects, he had places he needed to be, people he could help right now. Voldemort was still quite at large, and he was only getting stronger. If it had been anyone other than Dumbledore, and if it had concerned anyone other than James and his family, Sirius might not have come. But it did, and so he had come. Who knew? Maybe this really was as important as Dumbledore had said it was.

Sirius's head turned when Harry made a small gurgling noise. He was reaching in Sirius's direction. Sirius smiled at the young child.

"May I?" He asked Lily. She sighed and handed Harry over.

Sirius gladly took the child. It had been over a month since he had last seen his godson, and had missed the kid far more than he would like to admit. The kid had quite the eager smile and was always wanting to play. He was a very happy child, and looked so much like James. Except for the eyes. He had his mother's eyes.

Harry pulled at Sirius's nose, a mischievous grin on his tiny face. He laughed as Sirius made a very exaggerated face of pain. Sirius laughed too. James chuckled, watching. Lily watched warily, ever protective of her son. Sirius knew that it wasn't that she didn't trust him, just that she loved Harry too much to let anything happen to him.

Sirius put his hands over his face. Harry, squealing, did the same. Sirius smiled as Harry kept peering through his fingers to see if Sirius had appeared again. Peek-a-boo was one of Harry's favorite games. Sirius suddenly pulled his hands away from his face, saying, "Peek-a-boo!" Harry laughed hysterically, throwing his hands into the air.

"A nice game of Peek-a-boo, I see?" A voice said quietly.

Sirius turned his head to see Dumbledore standing in the entrance of his office. The old professor chuckled. "That was always a favorite of mine. A most entertaining game." He walked to his chair and sat down. "I see you all were able to attend. I am most glad."

"It's good to see you too, Professor." Lily said.

"I am sorry I could not tell you earlier what I wish to tell you now." Dumbledore said softly, adjusting his half-moon spectacles. "It is very private information, information that can be a danger to many if heard by the wrong ears. I couldn't risk telling you before, but now we are quite safe."

"Then what is it?" James asked, leaning forward in his chair. "What did you want to tell us?"

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Are you familiar with the art of Divination?"

Sirius scoffed. "I'm familiar with how bloody useless it is."

Dumbledore nodded. "Quite right. As unpredictable and... unclear as it is, Divination is, as you say, useless in most regards. Yet, there are some prophecies that turn out to be quite true. One of these prophecies I have heard myself not so long ago. This prophecy concerned the Dark Lord himself, and it also concerned... Harry."

"What?" Lily and James shouted at the same time. Lily quickly took her baby back from Sirius, and held him tightly.

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked.

"To put it more accurately, Harry is one of two boys that Voldemort is very interested in. See, Harry has the chance to be the one to put an end to Lord Voldemort. But unfortunately the Dark Lord also knows this, and will try to kill Harry before that can happen."

"So Lord Voldemort... is after... my son." James said, his face turning ghostly white. He was clenching the arms of his chair so hard the blood was disappearing from his knuckles.

"Indeed, he is quite determined to find you and your family." Dumbledore said. "I doubt that it would take him long, with his skills."

"He can't touch them!" Sirius said heatedly. "I won't let him get close."

"I have no doubts that you would do anything to stop him. But you are no match for Lord Voldemort, I'm afraid."

"Then what do we do?" Lily asked softly. Her eyes didn't leave her son's smiling face.

"I have a plan." Dumbledore assured her. "There is a spell, a very powerful spell called the Fidelius charm that can help you."

"What is it?" James asked. His eyes were on the old professor with a single-minded focus. Sirius had no doubts he would do whatever it took to protect his family.

"The Fidelius charm is a powerful spell designed to protect secrets. The secret information, which in this case will be the location of your home, can only be divulged by one or more people that are chosen as your Secret Keeper. Only that person can reveal the secret. Even if someone else were to know the secret they would be unable to tell it. Only the Secret Keeper may reveal the secret. Meanwhile Voldemort and anyone else who would want to find you cannot. They can walk onto your property and never know you are there, comb through every inch of Godric's Hollow and never find you."

"So we will be hiding in our house until Voldemort is defeated?" James asked, not liking the idea. "I am sorry, Dumbledore, but I am not some coward to hide in my sitting room while others lay down their lives-"

"So you plan to abandon your son and rejoin the fighting?" Dumbledore asked calmly, cutting James off. "I could care for him if that is indeed your wish."

"No!" James shouted. "That's not what I want! I don't want to leave Harry, but I can't just hide behind the rest of the Order!"

"James," Dumbledore said softly, "The bravest thing you can do right now is to protect your son. Remember what I said, he could be the one to bring about Lord Voldemort's downfall. And he needs you. He needs you to be there, to be his father. Only you can do that, not I, and not the rest of the Order. You will be of far more help with your family, where you are needed."

"Fine." James said, adjusting his glasses.

"Then if we are all in agreement, we must decide who is to become your Secret Keeper."

"So we can just choose anyone?" Lily asked.

"Yes." Dumbledore answered. "You can even choose multiple people, although that would be ill advised. The more people that can tell a secret, the more likely it is to be told."

"Who should we choose?" Lily asked.

"Choose whoever you trust with this information." Dumbledore said slowly. "You may choose myself, I promise that I would never divulge your secret. Or you may choose from among your friends."

"Is that why you invited me?" Sirius asked his old teacher.

"Exactly, Mr. Black." Dumbledore said, a twinkle in his eye. "As sharp as ever, I see."

"I would be fine with Sirius as our Secret Keeper." James said to his wife. "What do you think?"

Lily looked at Sirius and said nothing. Sirius got chills, as his best friend's wife stared daggers into his soul. This was it, the make or break moment. She either trusted him or she didn't.

"I trust him." She said simply.

Sirius let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. "Thank you." He said to Lily. "It means more than you know that you trust me." He meant it. He was truly humbled that they would entrust him with this.

"Do you understand what this means for you?" Dumbledore asked him. "You are directly responsible over whether James, Lily, and young Harry are safe. You are their best protection against Lord Voldemort. And he will do his best to find you, so he can get to them. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Sirius said. He knew this would be dangerous, and it could cost him his life. But never, NEVER would he let them down. The secret would die with him before he ever told Lord Voldemort.

"Then are you ready to perform the spell?" Dumbledore asked all of them.

"Right now?" James asked, surprised. "I guess." Lily nodded her agreement, as did Sirius.

"Then let us begin." Dumbledore said, standing up.

"It is really quite simple." Dumbledore said, walking over to Sirius. "I simply need to say the spell over Mr. Black, then one of you must say the secret that he must protect. Do you understand?"

Lily and James both nodded. Dumbledore drew a deep breath, then drew his wand. He waved it over Sirius and-

"Wait!" Lily shouted.

All eyes turned to her, even Harry's.

"Why can't the Secret Keeper be one of us?" She asked. "If we aren't going to leave anyway, our secret would be safe."

"That is true." Dumbledore said softly.

"No." James said quietly. Now all eyes turned to him.

"We already agreed that it would be Sirius." He said. "I trust him more than I trust myself."

"Are you sure?" Lily asked uneasily.

"Without a doubt." James answered curtly. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Then Sirius shall be the Keeper?" Dumbledore asked.

James nodded.

Dumbledore again raised his wand and opened his mouth to speak the spell. "Fidel-"

"PROFESSOR!" Came a shout from the door. McGonagall stood in the entrance to Dumbledore's office. She was slightly out of breath. It seemed that she had been in a hurry to get here. She noticed that she was interrupting something. "There has been an emergency." She said, glancing at Dumbledore's guests. "The thing- what we talked about earlier. It has happened."

"Oh, dear." Dumbledore said gravely. "That is indeed an emergency." He turned to Sirius and the Potters. "I'm afraid you must continue without me. The incantation is 'Fidelio Incantatum.' After you use that on Sirius you must tell him the secret he must protect. Then your secret will be bound to his heart. Good luck." He turned and followed McGonagall out to whatever emergency needed his attention.

Sirius, James and Lily all exchanged glances. Harry cooed quietly in Lily's arms.

"Should we do it here, then?" James asked.

"It's as good here as anywhere else, I guess." Lily said.

Sirius wasn't listening however. Something was nagging at the back of his mind. Something Dumbledore had said. _He will do his best to find you, so he can get to them_.

James drew his wand. "Ready, Padfoot? Fidelio-"

"Wait!" Sirius said, raising his hand in a futile effort to block the spell. "Not yet."

"What's wrong?" James asked, lowering his wand.

"It's what Dumbledore said!" Sirius said, standing up and pacing. "He's right. Voldemort will find out about this. And he will know who to look for. He'll find a way to get the information somehow. How do we stop him?"

"Sirius, are you alright?" Lily asked, concerned.

"That's it!" Sirius exclaimed, smiling as bright as a Christmas tree. "I have an idea that could help you survive this!"

"What is it?" James asked, interested.

"Voldemort will come for me. That's a given. And he will find a way to get the information from me. Unless... I can't give it to him." Sirius grinned mischievously.

"What do you mean?" James asked him not quite understanding. Meanwhile Lily's mouth formed an O as she realized what Sirius had in mind.

"He cant get the secret from me if I can't give it away." Sirius explained. "You need to make someone else your Secret Keeper. Someone Voldemort would never expect. Then, when he is hunting me, your secret is still as safe as ever because he will be searching for the wrong person."

James grinned from ear to ear. "Padfoot! That's genius! By God, that's bloody genius!" They both jumped around like frantic schoolgirls.

Despite her mixed feelings, even Lily liked this plan. It was just so, so cunning, so crazy, so unbelievably stupid. So Maurader. Not even Voldemort could predict it.

"There's just one question though." James said.

"What?"

"Who do we make Secret Keeper instead? Who would Voldemort never expect us to entrust with this?"

They were both silent for a moment, then they both turned to each other and grinned.

"Peter?"

"Peter."

 **Flashback end**

 **And that's it for this chapter. I would hope you guys could check out my other stories too, and the stories of my friend SoloGamer. I would appreciate that. Leave your thoughts in the reviews, and fav and follow if you liked it. Don't be afraid to be harsh with any critiques, I can take it. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3- The Wreckage

**Hello again! Welcome back to another chapter of Of Blackest Hearts, as we go through Sirius's past once more. Since you would have had to go though the first two chapters to get here, thanks for sticking with it. It means a lot to me. Enjoy!**

Chapter 3

Sirius revved the bike, trying to coax it to go faster through the dark sky. They could already be under attack by Lord Voldemort. He had to hurry. Their lives could depend on it. Sirius knew he wasn't powerful enough to stand against Voldemort alone, but that didn't mean he couldn't make a difference. He had to get there as soon as possible.

Damn that rat. Damn him! Sirius hoped to God he was wrong, that Peter had just stepped out or something. But that feeling in his gut, he couldn't get rid of it. Somehow he knew that Peter had betrayed them. That sniveling coward... After all the times that he and James had stood up for him, and this was how he thanked them? Bloody traitor!

Peter had always followed them around, always tried to catch some of the greatness that they left in their wake. He had always been their biggest fan. He had been obsessed with Sirius and James, two of the most mischievous students to ever pass through Hogwarts. They had included the small, fretful boy along with Remus into their schemes out of pity. Sirius still didn't know to this day if Peter had ever had friends beyond those three.

 _But now he's forsaken us_ , Sirius thought. _Forsaken us for a new Master. If Voldemort kills that piece of vermin it would be exactly what was coming to him. Who does this sort of thing? It's horrible, betraying the only ones who care about you. There will be a special place reserved for Wormtail in hell._

Why did he ever trust him? Sirius should have known better. After all the times Peter tried to get out of trouble when we were caught pulling pranks as kids it should have been obvious. He was always too paranoid, too prone to giving in to fear. Peter was too willing to lay down his friends if it meant not being on the losing side. Peter was always a survivalist, always playing the part of the Rat. Sirius could too easily see Peter stealing away in the middle of the night to go to Voldemort and tell He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named every scrumptious little detail about how to kill the Potters. Peter probably hadn't even been torn on his decision. As soon as they had made him Keeper, as soon as they had put him in that position to betray him at the maximum gain, he had been planning this, Sirius was willing to bet. Wormtail had been a little too enthusiastic to take the job, Sirius remembered. Perhaps he had been planning to betray them for a while. It wouldn't surprise him. Voldemort has been getting more powerful for months, and Peter always knew who the highest bidder happened to be. Betrayal was natural to a rat.

But Sirius couldn't put all the blame on Peter. Sirius was the one who had caused all of this. He had given Peter the power to do this, the opportunity to give Voldemort the win. That had been Sirius. It may have been unintentional, but he was guilty as well. He could only hope that he was wrong. That James and his family were safe. That he had jumped to conclusions. That this Halloween night would end happy.

As he finally flew over Godric's Hollow he knew that he was right. Too right for his own good. He could see a great flame in the town, a bright light against the dark night. He knew exactly what was on fire, exactly where that flame was, but he still refused to believe it. It couldn't be true.

He landed his bike in a nearby park. Thankfully it was empty. All of the Muggles were too busy with the nearby fire to notice his arrival and the few present wizards were writing letters, owls at the ready. It wouldn't take long for news to get out.

Whatever Voldemort had done, it had been quite powerful. The Fidelius charm had been broken, allowing everyone to see the destruction, even Muggles. Their fire people, whatever they were called, were busy trying to douse the fire while the Muggle police tried to keep people away.

Sirius hoped to God that James, Lily, and Harry were alright. He knew that Voldemort was powerful beyond belief, but the Potters were quite skilled themselves. It wouldn't have been out of the question that they had escaped. He could only hope.

The house itself was in horrifyingly bad shape. It looked like a large bomb had gone off. The house was broken into pieces, and those pieces were all on fire. Why would Voldemort have ever needed to resort to this? Was the Killing Curse not enough for the Dark Lord now? This was beyond overkill. He had destroyed everything. The living room, where Sirius had sat for tea many times, was completely gone. Just gone, nothing left. And the kitchen was just an unrecoverable wreckage. James and Lily's room had survived best. There was a dark blob that might have been a bed once, and the dresser was unusable but still recognizable. But Harry's room was... Oh no...

There was a crater. Literally a crater. There was a dark shape at the middle of it, but besides that everything was gone. It was all bloody gone. Why would Voldemort have needed to do this? It was beyond evil. Why?

Someone tapped on Sirius's shoulder. Sirius turned to see Dedalus Diggle, another wizard there.

"Sirius." The man said. "Y-youre here." He was a young man, a few years younger than Sirius, small and wiry. Dedalus was one of the more peaceful members of the Order of the Phoenix, who was happier to spend time practicing charms rather Voldemort and what he stood for. But he wasn't a fighter in any way. Sirius didn't blame him, as he himself had seen what horrors fighting could cause.

"Dedalus." Sirius said softly. "Its good to see a familiar face."

Dedalus glanced at the ground uncomfortably. "Sirius. Im sorry, but you should see this. He was you're friend." He pointed to something on the ground, by where the front door once was. Sirius stepped closer. He couldn't quite make out what it was in this darkness. It almost looked like...

No. Dear God, no. Sirius's worst fears had been confirmed. It was a body. The body of a man that Sirius knew, a man that Sirius had loved, admired and respected, had been through everything with, had been brothers in all but name with. His best friend, James Potter, stared lifelessly into the smoke filled sky.

It didn't hurt how Sirius expected it to. He didn't explode in anger and pain, fall weeping over his friend's body. The grief wasn't sudden, wasn't a burst of pain and confusion. It was gradual, as the knowledge that Prongs would cause mischief no more slowly sank in. It got worse and worse, growing exponentially painful as the seconds ticked by. But still he gave no reaction. Sirius didn't know why he was taking his friend's death so calmly. Was it because he had really known for hours that he would find this? Why? Did it make him a bad person?

Sirius crouched down next to James and closed his best friend's eyes. He didn't know why he did it, besides that it seemed the right thing to do.

"I'm sorry, James." He said quietly. "I failed you in the end. It's as much my fault as Peter's that this happened." Sirius knew he would have to live with that painful, painful truth for as long as he lived. If James and Lily hadn't put their trust in him, they would still be alive. If they had listened to Dumbledore instead, and made him their Secret Keeper, it would never had reached Voldemort's ears. This was on Sirius. They had entrusted him with their most precious secret and he had told it to the very person who would sell them out to the devil. And now as a result they had paid the ultimate price, and now he was alone and broken. He had gotten exactly what he deserved.

"Sirius!" Dedalus Diggle yelped. "Look!"

Sirius turned his gaze to where the wizard was pointing. Among the smoke of what remained of the Potter household, the large shape Sirius had seen before in the crater had moved. It stood, now much taller than a human and far wider. It walked slowly out of the crater, almost lumbering like a zombie. Sirius's first thought was that it was some trick of Lord Voldemort's. Perhaps it even was the Dark Lord himself. He drew his wand, ready to defend himself and those around him if needed. He may have let down James and Lily, but if whatever that was wanted to hurt these people, it would have to kill him first.

The titanic figure moved closer, lumbering one giant step after another. By now the Muggle police had noticed and were trying to figure out what it was.

"What in the bloody blazes is that thing?" Dedalus asked frightfully. He too had his wand out, but Sirius knew he wasn't that skilled at combat. Dedalus was a peaceful soul, and likely wouldn't be that much help if it came to a fight. Having Dumbledore, or Mad-Eye maybe, would have been a lot better. Or James, Sirius realized sadly. He glanced over at his friend's body. James looked so small in death. He had always been so animated, so full of life. Just laying there didn't suit him. It wasn't the James that Sirius knew.

As the figure got closer, it began to look more familiar. He had seen this before, definitely, but he couldn't quite place where. This giant was so familiar, but from where? Sirius suddenly realized what it was.

"Dedalus." Sirius breathed. "It's okay, you can put your wand down."

Dedalus Diggle gave him a queer look. "Why would I put my wand down? That thing might want to kill me!"

"No, he won't." Sirius answered. "It's Hagrid. Just Hagrid."

"Hagrid? What in the blazes was he doing in there?"

"I don't know." Sirius said, putting his wand away. "Let's ask him."

Hagrid was hard to recognize at first, or at least as hard as it was to mistake a man as large as him. Hagrid's face was covered in soot and his clothes, hair, and beard had all been burned at spots. But despite this Hagrid had a sad smile on his face, and even tears in his eyes.

How could he be smiling? Sirius was about to grow angry when he realized that Hagrid was holding something. It didn't take Sirius long to figure out just what it was.

"Harry." He muttered. He couldn't believe it. Somehow Harry Potter, a helpless baby, had survived facing arguably the most powerful wizard in the world. It was impossible, yet there he was. The proof was in Hagrid's enormous arms.

Hagrid pushed his way past the police that tried to stop him. They were powerless to stop him as he kept walking. He spotted Sirius and Dedalus Diggle and walked over to them.

"Hagrid... What happened?" Sirius asked.

"I dunno too well meself, ter be hones'. Dumbledore told me ter come see abou' gettin' Harry here. Told me he would be here, he did, even after all tha' happen't. Found all o' this, jus burnin' away. A shame it is. A shame."

"Dumbledore sent you?" Sirius asked, surprised. How had he known? "He knows about this already?" He knew James and Lily were dead. He knew Harry had survived. How could he have possibly known that already? How could he have known soon enough to send Hagrid? How?

But these were questions to be left for another time. For now what mattered was Harry. His godson's eyes wandered around, intrigued by the strange people and bright lights around him.

"Give him to me, Hagrid." Sirius said, holding his arms out to take the boy.

But to his surprise Hagrid did nothing. "I'm 'fraid I can' do tha', Sirius. Dumbledore has it covered. Harry is goin' ter-"

"No." Sirius said firmly. "He's coming with me. I'm his godfather." He had already let down James, but he refused to let down Harry. He would take care of his godson, no matter what.

"I know yer his godfather, Sirius." Hagrid pleaded. "But Dumbledore told me ter-"

Sirius interrupted him angrily. "I don't care what Dumbledore said! Harry is my responsibility and he is coming with me!"

"Sirius..." Dedalus cautioned, but neither Sirius nor Hagrid were listening.

"I understand, Sirius! I do! But I can' jus' hand him over ter ya, Dumbledore said-"

"NO" Sirius roared. "I AM HIS GODFATHER!"

"SIRIUS! STOP THIS NOW!" Dedalus shouted at him. Dedalus grabbed Sirius's wrist. Sirius glanced down to see his wand in his hand, pointed at Hagrid.

What had come over him?

"I- I'm so sorry, Hagrid." Sirius said, dropping his wand. He couldn't believe himself. He had been about to attack Hagrid, who had been his friend for years now. He didn't feel well. Perhaps it would be better if he wasn't looking after Harry. At least not yet. "I didn't mean to point- and at you- I'm so sorry."

"I don' blame ya." Hagrid said, relief evident on his face. "After losin' James an' Lily, you have a righ' ter be a bit protective. Still, no need ter blas' me. Imma jus' tryin' ter help."

"Where is Dumbledore sending him to?" Sirius asked quietly.

"Ter the Dursleys. Lily's family." Hagrid didn't sound too happy about this decision, something that Sirius agreed with.

"He's to stay with Muggles?" Sirius asked, disgusted. "Why would Dumbledore think Harry would be safe there? I'm sure plenty of You-Know-Who's followers would like to finish the job, and Muggles aren't going to protect him!"

Hagrid shrugged. "I'm sure Dumbledore has his reasons." The large man sighed. "I'd love ter chat summore, but Dumbledore wants me ter git 'im over there real quick like. Imma have ter go."

"How are you getting there?" Dedalus asked.

"Not too sure meself, ter tell ya the truth." Hagrid admitted. "Imma have ter take Muggle ways. Train, perhaps."

"No." Sirius said softly. "You can take my bike."

Hagrid was surprised. "Yer- yer bike? But ya love tha' thing!"

"I know. And I want you to take it. Get Harry to the Dursleys safe and sound." Sirius picked up his wand and put it away. "You can keep it." Yes, this was what Sirius wanted. Even if Dumbledore would have these Dursleys take care of Harry instead Sirius could still help this way. The bike was capable of carrying Hagrid and Sirius knew that it was in good hands.

Hagrid balked at that. "No! It's yer bike!"

"It's yours now. It's sitting over in that park." Sirius pointed.

"Ya- ya sure?" Hagrid asked.

"Yes." Sirius said solemnly. "I won't need it anymore. And I'm sorry to leave you alone on a night like this Dedalus, but I'm afraid I will have to leave as well. I have a job to do."

"A job?" Dedalus asked, confused. "What job?"

"I have a rat to kill." Sirius said darkly before Disapparating.

 **Well, it happened. James and Lily are… dead. (takes minute to cry softly) I had to go through a surprising amount of research to put this particular chapter together, especially Hagrid's speech patterns. Getting that together was a pain in the ass. But it was worth it. I like how this turned out. I hope you did too. Well, soon Sirius will be hunting down Peter Pettigrew to avenge James and Lily, and im sure you all remember how that will turn out. See you next time! And until then, don't forget to turn to the dark side (we have cookies!)**


	4. Chapter 4- The Confrontation

**Hello again! Back for another round! I hate to start on a negative note, but I feel its kind of necessary. I have gotten absolutely zero reviews(except for one in person from a friend) from you guys. Therefore I have absolutely no idea what you guys think. Do you like it? What do you like? Is it complete garbage? I have no idea. So can you help me out a bit? Please? Thank you. Besides that, I would like to express that I feel like I should have made the last chapter a bit longer. It is one of the biggest moments in the whole Harry Potter series and Sirius's POV was only slightly longer than the other chapters. I feel like I could have contributed a bit more, you know? Oh well. Anyway, it is now the next day and we get to see the moment that landed Sirius in his home for the next twelve years. Cue Gary Oldman shouting about 12 years of waiting now.**

 **Enjoy!**

November 1, 1981

Chapter 4

There was a loud cracking noise as two wizards suddenly appeared in the dark side ally. To a Muggle it would have seemed that the two had come from out of thin air. Indeed, they wouldn't be wrong at all. They actually had just appeared out of thin air. But thankfully no Muggles happened to see the two men arrive.

They quickly left the dark ally to join the bustle of the much busier street, soon melting into the large crowd of people heading to their morning jobs. They did a poor job of blending in with the crowd. Most of the people were dressed in expensive suits and ties, while the two wizards wore scruffy and dirty clothes. The two didn't seem to be fazed at all by how out of place they were. They moved quickly through the crowd, obviously in a hurry.

"I got you 'ere, now where's my pay?" Said the shorter of the two. He had long scraggly hair and stank of alcohol. He kept fidgeting and looking over his shoulder, as though he expected to have enemies come calling.

The other wizard rolled his eyes. He was tall with long hair and a handsome but gaunt face. His sharp features were covered by a thin beard. "You'll get your pay when I have Peter. Until I know you brought me to the right place you aren't getting a thing out of me, Dung. Now will he be here?"

"I woul'n' lie to you, Sirius. 'E's gonna be 'ere, meeting some Death Eater. Catch 'im like a good ol' rat before that other bloke gets 'ere, and you're gold, mate. Which is what I'm 'oping to see." Dung grinned greedily.

Sirius sighed. "Mundungus, trust me, there are things you would rather have out of my old house than gold. We have some things that are much more valuable, and you can take your pick."

Mundungus squealed like a pig. "An' you're sure your dear ol' mum wont mind?"

"She won't. At least, not until she knows its missing."

"Aye, I catch you're meaning, Sirius." Dung said, nodding.

"So where exactly are they meeting?" Sirius asked. "I need to know."

"You see, past that light? That bench o'er there?" Dung said, pointing ahead of them. "Across the square? Right there, in 'bout twenty minutes. That's where e'll be."

Sirius eyed the bench, hoping Mundungus's information was correct. This was likely his one chance to capture Wormtail. If he got away it could be near impossible for Sirius to find him again, even with Dung's help. It was probably now or never.

"You should probably get away from here, Dung. This could get out of hand, especially if that Death Eater jumps in." Sirius drew his wand slowly so as not to draw attention from the Muggles.

Mundungus was no fool. He knew Sirius was not kidding when he said that it could out of hand. With these kinds of people it could get bloody fast. The thief backed up and saluted to the heir of the House of Black. "Um, I think I'll catch you later, Sirius. You're good for your word, I know. Best of luck to ya, mate." He Disapparated with a loud crack. Several Muggles jumped at the noise, but went back to their travels when they failed to find the source of their annoyance.

Sirius settled against a wall, watching the bench that Peter was supposed to meet his Death Eater friend at. Inwardly Sirius was smiling hungrily. He wanted nothing more in the world to catch Peter and make him squeal like the rat he was. Peter would regret what he had done, Sirius would make sure of it. If he did nothing else in this life, he would make sure James and Lily would be avenged.

It was weird, but everything seemed so clear to him now. Losing everything you cared about had that effect you, Sirius reflected. The losses he had suffered gave him clarity, the grief a certain enemy. Peter. The person responsible. All that mattered now was stopping him. It was everything now. It was why Sirius existed, why he hadn't slept, why he was watching this bench now. Peter was everything, yet was nothing at the same time. It was so clear.

Yet at the same time he could barely feel the grief. He had forced that to the back of his mind. It could wait until after Peter. After all, he would have his entire life to grieve for them, but Peter could only be stopped now.

 _Why are you doing this, Sirius?_ A voice said behind Sirius. He nearly jumped out of his skin in shock and turned around. There was no one even remotely close.

Sirius was worried. Was there some kind of ghost here? How did it know his name?

The voice spoke again. _Catching Peter isn't your responsibility, my friend. It never was. You have a much more important job, Padfoot_.

Sirius recognized the voice. But this was impossible. James was dead. He couldn't possibly be speaking to him. Sirius knew that this was no ghost. He had seen plenty of ghosts in his time at Hogwarts. So what was this?

"J-james." He muttered. "I'm doing this for you. For you and Lily-"

 _That's not what I asked you to do_. The voice sounded sterner, as though it were a parent talking to their child. _I asked you to look after Harry, not chase traitors. You should be with him._

"But Dumbledore took him..." Sirius pleaded. He had realized by now that he was just talking to himself, but that voice, James, seemed so real. "There was nothing I could do."

 _We both know that's a lie, Sirius. Maybe Albus is right, maybe he should stay with Petunia and her family. But there is no reason that you shouldn't be with him now._

"But then who would catch Peter?" Sirius asked, grasping for reasons to prove the voice wrong. "You and Lily need justice."

 _Oh I don't know_. The voice said sarcastically. _Remus maybe? Or Moody? The Longbottoms? Or perhaps bloody Dumbledore? Quit trying to get out of your responsibility, mate. You're only making yourself look foolish._

"But-"

 _No_. The voice said sharply. _No buts. We both know where you should be, and this isn't it. I made you Harry's godfather for a reason, Sirius. There's no one I trust more than you. Please dont make that decision a mistake._

A movement in the distance caught Sirius's eye. A short figure sat down on the bench. A short round figure. Bingo. Sirius took a deep breath. It was time.

* _Don't do this Sirius_.* The voice warned. * _Stop now. It's not too late to turn back_.*

Sirius ignored the voice and muttered a spell he had learned a few months ago, called the Anti- Disapparation Jinx. It was highly difficult, and this was the first time Sirius had ever performed it. It was designed to create an area of space where Disapparation would be impossible. It was mainly used to keep enemies from escaping, and Sirius knew that Hogwarts, Gringotts Wizarding Bank, and the fortress prison of Azkaban all used the charm for security and safety reasons. With this, Wormtail would be unable to disappear at the first sign of Sirius, and he had no doubt that he could catch Peter on foot.

A blue light appeared at the end of Sirius's wand. It quickly formed into a bubble of electric blue light and started expanding. It quickly captured Sirius within it, removing his ability to Disapparate at will. But that was alright. He wouldn't need it.

The bright bubble continued expanding soon capturing several surrounding Muggles. They didn't seem to notice anything as they were enveloped. Good. Before long it had even surrounded Peter. Sirius was pleaded to see that his spell wasn't noticed, even by the other wizard. It seemed that Sirius, as castor, was the only one who could see how far the effects reached.

He let the Jinx continue to grow. He knew that things were unlikely to go exactly as planned and wanted as much room as he could manage to work with. When he was satisfied, Sirius cut off the spell, leaving himself, Peter, and scores of Muggles unable to Disapparate.

 _*Don't do this, Sirius.*_ James's voice pleaded. * _This won't give you anything you are looking for. It's better to just let it go. Please.*_

"I'm sorry, Prongs." Sirius said. "I have to. I need closure."

Sirius did a mental checklist in his head. Mundungus had lead him to the cheese. The rat had shown up just as expected. Now the trap was set. That meant that all that was left was to spring down on his unsuspecting prey.

Sirius began walking toward the bench, wand in hand and mercies abandoned. He had a job to do, and one way or another Peter would be brought to justice. Whether that justice was spent in Azkaban or Hell was completely up to Wormtail.

* _Please don't_.* The voice whispered softly. * _Harry needs you. Be there for him. Please, Sirius. Leave now or everything we have worked for will be lost.*_

Sirius disregarded the voice, as difficult as it was to ignore his best friend. He couldn't be swayed now. Not when he was so close.

* _Don't say you weren't warned, mate.*_ The voice almost sounded disappointed.

Peter noticed him when he was only ten feet away. He squealed, scrambling away in fear. "Sirius!" Short and fidgety, Peter had always lived up to his comparisons to rats. Even as a first year in Gryffindor Sirius had always had a bad feeling about his friend, although he had ignored and disregarded the feeling for years. But even from the beginning Sirius had been able to sniff out the rat. If only he had done something when there was still a chance…

The confrontation was exactly how Sirius had been dreaming it would go. Seeing Peter so horrified, it was exactly what Sirius had needed. And exactly what Peter deserved.

Peter Pettigrew winced, obviously trying to Disapparate away. He gasped when he realized that there was no escape. Peter tried to run away, but he was horribly slow and Sirius kept up easily. He found he was enjoying the hunt.

"You should have known you wouldn't have gotten away with it, Peter." Sirius hissed, malice in his voice. "You should have known I would hunt you down."

"Sirius..." Peter whimpered as he backed away from his former friend. "Sirius please... You have to listen to me..."

"HOW COULD YOU?" Sirius snarled. He lifted his wand, pointing it right at Peter's throat. It would be so easy. He even knew exactly what spell to use. It had been sent his direction often enough, after all. So, so easy to just kill him now. But Sirius wanted Peter to suffer first. Azkaban would be Peter's new home if Sirius could help it.

Sirius didn't notice that his yelling had drawn a crowd. Everyone seemed to be curious about the strange man pointing a stick at the small portly bloke. They quickly became a popular attraction to the surrounding Muggles. But Peter noticed and a light lit up in his eyes, as he realized he could use the crowd to his advantage. A devious plan was coming to his mind.

Faster than Sirius would have thought possible Wormtail spun around and ran away. Determined not to lose his prey, Sirius gave chase. As Sirius ran he thought he saw a flash of silver slide into Peter's hand, but he wasn't sure.

Peter suddenly stopped again. Sirius could get a better look now, and realized that what Wormtail had was a knife. Sirius was surprised. Did he mean to use that against Sirius? Peter wasn't quite bad enough at magic to have to resort to knives. What was he thinking?

Peter held out one of his hands. He curled back all of his fingers until only one remained. Sirius suddenly realized what the rat was doing.

The silver moved, flesh fell, and Peter Pettigrew let out the most bloodcurdling scream of agony Sirius had ever heard. If there was anyone who hadn't been watching the spectacle before they were watching now.

Sirius tried to figure out what had just happened. Had Peter just cut off his finger? Why? And of all people, Peter? Sirius couldn't believe Peter would ever have the balls to do that.

Before he could say anything Peter screamed, "HOW COULD YOU? WHY SIRIUS?"

Sirius was taken aback. Was Peter going to try to blame him for this? Incredible. The lying little coward. "Stop it Peter. We both know who is to blame here."

"THEY WERE YOUR FRIENDS!" Peter shouted. "YOU KILLED THEM!"

Several people gasped. Those closest to Sirius backed away. Sirius got angrier. He refused to be blamed for their deaths. "NO, BUT I'LL KILL YOU!" He raised his wand, blinded to the situation by rage.

But he froze when Peter's face curled into the evilest smile Sirius had ever seen.

Barely audible, Sirius heard James Lily's murderer speak the last two words he expected to hear, " _Mischief managed_."

Then Sirius's world exploded.

 **Just like last chapter I feel like there was more I could have added, especially near the end. Unfortunately I couldn't think of what it could possibly be. Aw well. If I didn't have regrets I wouldn't be human, and id like not to mess with my species identity. So what did you guys think? Have you guys liked this so far? Sirius's story isn't quite done yet, we still have a few more chapters to go, but the most important stuff has been knocked out fairly quick. Peter's betrayal, James and Lily's death(and Harry's survival), Peter's escape…. All that's left is Sirius being captured and his incarceration. It feels like we got here kind of quick. Huh. Well, be sure to favorite and follow if you have been liking it so far and be sure to LEAVE REVIEWS. Say whatever the hell you want, its ok. If you want to say something nice, then awesome. If you want to say something hurtful, go for it. It's the internet. If you just wanna fan out about HP then it would be my pleasure to fan out with you. Hell, if you just wanna tell me how your day is going then I will listen. Just give me some damn reviews! Also, could you guys join the dark side? The Emperor is kinda getting onto me about my job performance as a darth and some new recruits could help out quite a lot. We even have some free cookies if you want some. Not telling what kind though. Bwahaha Now youll have to join to find out what kind of cookies they are because if you don't the suspense will kill you! Now THAT is a cliffhanger!**

 **-Darthlane**


	5. Chapter 5- The Arrest

**Hello again guys! It's been quite a while since I posted a chapter, and I apologize deeply. I've been pretty damn busy, mostly because of schoolwork but also because I've committed most of my writing towards my Gravity Falls story in recent weeks due to that show ending soon. I'm sorry, because I feel like I've neglected this story, and by extension, all of you who have been reading it. I will try to be more consistent moving forward, and I hope you like what story I have left to tell. Now, you have waited long enough! Let's get on with the story!**

Chapter 5

Antonin Dolohov sighed as he leaned against the old brick wall of some small-business hat store. He was in a crowded Muggle public square, which for a man like him was as degrading as it could get. Muggles were disgusting creatures, unfit to even lick the mud from the bottom of his boots. They were incapable of performing any kind of magic, and were not even aware of it like Squibs. How could they even be considered human next to a pureblood like himself? If he could, he would teach these insolent maggots what a real man was. How Dumbledore and the rest could stand the stench of Muggles, let alone vouch for them, was beyond reason.

Antonin glanced around. Still no sign of Pettigrew. Lord Voldemort himself had entrusted him the mission of getting the small man safely into hiding. Antonin had always been one of his master's favorite followers, and he often gave him important tasks such as this. He had tortured countless Muggles and Muggle-borns in the name of wizards, and enjoyed every moment of it. It was just what they deserved. He had even defeated Gideon and Fabien Prewett, two of the toughest fighters in the entire Order of the Phoenix. They were just a step below Alastor Moody in skill, and Voldemort had been quite pleased by their deaths. Yes, for important missions like this Antonin Dolohov was the one Lord Voldemort would trust. Not Bellatrix Lestrange, not Lucius Malfoy, not even Severus Snape. It was him.

Pettigrew was suddenly there, across the Muggle square. The small, mousy man glanced everywhere, paranoid of anything that moved. Antonin was disgusted. He didn't know why Voldemort would want this weakling safe. He was a mockery of the name of wizards. If Antonin had it his way they would have used him then tossed him away like the trash he is. That's about all a Gryffindor is worth, after all.

Before he could walk over, Dolohov recognized a familiar face. Sirius Black, weaving in between Muggles towards Pettigrew. Interesting. He pulled out his wand and sped over as fast as he could. He had to stop Black before he hurt Pettigrew. His charge caught wind of the threat, and made a break for it. Fat fool. Why didn't he just Disapparate? Black chased after Pettigrew, and Dolohov chased after Black. After running a short distance Pettigrew stopped and started babbling at Black. Black yelled back at his old friend, and Pettigrew muttered something. Dolohov raised his wand to blast Black in the back. Suddenly he was bumped and his wand slipped from his hand, clattering away among the sea of feet.

Damn Muggles! Beasts, every one of them! He chased after his wand, pushing people out of the way. He swore, if one of them stepped on his damn wand he would kill every fucking one of them! He finally found it. A child, a girl that couldn't have been more than five years old, had discovered it and was peering at it closely. Little bitch probably thought it was just a damn stick. He grabbed it from her, wrenching it from her feeble grip. She cried out, but he growled at her, shutting her up. If he wasn't already busy on a mission he would torture the Muggle bitch then and there. She should know better than to touch a wand. Her filthy hands should never even come near him. He wiped his wand on his robes in hopes it would clean off some of the grime of her grubby little Muggle hands.

He turned back to his mission just in time to see the street blow up.

He was thrown back several feet, landing on his back painfully. Stupid bastard! Antonin scrambled back to his feet. What had Pettigrew been thinking? Blowing himself up wouldn't accomplish anything, except possibly get rid of Black. Antonin had to admit that Pettigrew had a talent for getting rid of his old friends. Just a couple more and he should get a fucking award.

He glanced around. The kid that had taken his wand was lying a few feet away, crying over her leg. It was completely gone from the knee down, destroyed in the explosion. Nearby, a similarly woman lay unmoving. Probably the mother. It looked like that kid might be an orphan now. Served the bitch right.

He groaned. It felt like a rib might be broken. He had to get away quickly, before the Ministry could get here. Already people were running around everywhere, and the Muggle police sirens could be heard in the distance.

He got to his feet shakily, and concentrated to Disapparate. But nothing happened. Somehow, he was still here. What was going on? "Specialis Revelio!" he said under his breath. Suddenly he could see a large bubble around the square. "Anti-Apparation Charm, eh? Smarter than you looked, Black." Dolohov began hobbling away. He had to get out of the spell's influence so he could get away. This mission was over now that Pettigrew had killed himself, so all that was left to do was to get away. Voldemort want to hear his report and find out why Pettigrew was dead.

As he limped down the sidewalk, a Muggle police officer approached him. "Sir are you ok? You need to get to a hospital immediately, please come with- aahrgh!" The officer's eyes grew wide as Dolohov picked him up by his throat and lifted him into the air. Antonin Dolohov grinned viciously at his prey. "I wouldn't go anywhere with scum like you. Avada Kedavra!" The police man fell from his grip, dead. A nearby woman screamed, but he didn't care.

He kept limping down the road until he was free of the Anti-Apparation Charm. "He's not going to be happy about this." He said before disappearing, leaving chaos and death in his wake.

Sirius groaned. Why did everything hurt? He was lying on the ground, and he had no idea where he was. He coughed. Had he and James gotten into trouble again? He didn't remember pranking hurting this much…

He raised his head and glanced around. It was dark and smoky around him, broken brick and concrete everywhere. A fire burned contently a few yards away, engulfing what had once been the table in a coffeeshop. What had happened here? It was a complete mess. Was that a body over there? Oh god, the blood….

Sirius suddenly remembered. Chasing down Pettigrew. The finger. The smile. The explosion. The Shield Charm he had cast at the last moment, saving his life. And most importantly, James and Lily.

He began to ease to his knees, crawling his way to his feet. He tried to stand, but he couldn't summon the strength. Everything hurt, and he couldn't feel his left hand ring finger at all. Whatever spell Wormtail had used, it had been deadly. In all rights Sirius should be dead right now. Was Peter?

Sirius looked around but couldn't find his former friend anywhere. Had he perhaps been undone by his own spell? Maybe Sirius had gotten lucky for the first time since this war started. He could only hope.

He heard a squeak behind him. He rolled over painfully to see a rat standing partway in a large crater. The rat looked familiar, and Sirius quickly realized why. One toe off its front paw was missing. Just like Peter's finger. Wormtail! He lunged for the rodent in murderous rage. Peter couldn't get away with this! He collapsed halfway coughing. His bruised body wouldn't let him go any farther. With a swish of its tail, the rat scampered away. Sirius's heart turned to despair as Wormtail disappeared into the smoking wreckage, slipping away like the rat he was.

"He escaped…." Sirus muttered. "He's alive…." He had failed. Now he might never catch Peter and avenge the Potters. He clenched his fist in anger. Why? How could this happen? Where was the justice in this?

A pair of boots made their way over to where Sirius was crumpled on the ground. More followed, cloaks billowing around them. Sirius knew who they were without having to see. Aurors.

He raised his head bleakly to see Rufus Scrimgeour, one of the most accomplished Aurors alive, standing above him. Rufus stared down at the Black heir, his eyes cold. "Sirius Black…" he said in his slow drawl. "How far have we fallen. I can't believe that one of Dumbledore's precious Order could have done this. That he could have misjudged you so badly. But it happened, you did what you did, and now you will stand trial for what you have done."

Sirius was confused. What had he done? He had tried to stop Peter, but he had failed and now the traitor was sneaking away, free from justice. But what Scrimgeour had said, it was almost like he was about to arrest him, as though Sirius were the one in the wrong. Something didn't feel right about this.

"What are you talking about, Scrimgeour?" Sirius rasped, clutching his ribs.

"Don't play dumb, Black." Scrimgeour warned. "You are hereby under arrest for conspiracy, affiliation with a known terrorist, destruction of public property, being a danger to the people of the British Isles, and," he glanced around at the destruction, "murder."

Panic seized Sirius. "No! This is some sort of mistake! I didn't do this!"

"We know it was you, Mr. Black. As much as Dumbledore tried to hide it, we in the Ministry found out your little secret. The Potters have been using a Fidelius Charm over their home for months now and you were their Secret Keeper! And judging by what happened last night, they chose poorly."

Sirius couldn't believe this. They were going to accuse him of that? Peter had betrayed them, not him! "NO!" he roared. "I would never betray them! You have the wrong man!"

Scrimgeour chuckled. "See, now that is one of the little quirks of the Fidelius Charm. When it fails, there is only one person to blame. And that is you, Mr. Black. I wonder, what did You-Know-Who offer you? Power? Money? Safety? What exactly did you pay your friends' lives to gain? Were you really so convinced our side was going to lose? What a pity…"

"I wasn't their Secret Keeper! It wasn't me!"

"Lies. We know very well that it was you who the Potters selected, and you who betrayed them."

"I would never betray them! It was all Peter! He caused all of this!"

"Peter?" Scrimgeour sniffed indignantly. "Pettigrew? I guess he is why you came here and made this mess. I wonder, were you going to hunt down everyone else as well? Mr. Lupin? The Longbottoms? Moody, even? And perhaps you would have capped it off with Dumbledore in the end I would imagine? Bloody despicable, you are." He heaved Sirius to his feet. "It's off to Azkaban with you."

"He lives." Sirius muttered under his breath. "He lives _." I'm innocent,_ he thought _. He lives. Peter Pettigrew, Secret Keeper and traitor of the Potters, is alive. I'll catch him, even if it costs my life. I will bring him to justice. For Lily. For James._

 _For Harry._

 **What did y'all think? Was that good enough for you guys? Let me know. Now, after this story is over (it should last another 2-5 chapters, depending on how much I cover for each chapter) I am planning on starting a Pokémon based story that I hope you guys can contribute to. Contribute meaning that if you have any ideas for the main character of the story(I'm already planning for it to be a fifteen year old girl, but name, race, personality, starter Pokémon(doesn't have to be a normal starter), and more will be greatly appreciated) I could use something. I already have the core of what I want that story to be figured out, but if you guys have any ideas you would like me to try it can't hurt to hear them. Well, if you liked what I've written you should favorite, follow, and leave a review for me, and check out my other stories as well. As of right now I have ones for Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, and Gravity Falls. If you are reading this in the future (share your futuristic secrets with me!) I probably have several more, so you should check those out. I'm also considering making another Star Wars one-shot, since the new movie is coming out in a couple of weeks. Just keep your eyes open. Til next time!**


	6. Chapter 6- The Aftermath

**I'm going to keep this short and sweet. It's been awhile, and I'm sorry, but in the time I was gone I made a schedule for this story, and you should expect a chapter every three weeks on Tuesdays assuming I can keep up. I have the rest of this story planned out, so we are now officially on dwindling time. Hope you enjoy the rest.**

Chapter 6

There was a loud crack as Antonin Dolohov appeared out of thin air, crumpling onto the ground. He clutched his ribs, rising slowly to his feet. He was outside the Lestrange estate, the first place he could think to go to. He could have also gone to the Malfoys, but he felt like they had too much money for their own good. They cared about it more than they did Lord Voldemort, and Dolohov didn't like that. At least the Lestranges shared his devotion somewhat.

He shakily pushed the gate open, then hobbled to the front door. With a grunt of pain he made it up the steps, then grabbed the massive knocker and banged it several times. After a few moments the door opened, revealing Rodolphus Lestrange. Rodolphus quickly let Dolohov inside, where three others were waiting inside. Barty Crouch Jr. and Rabastan Lestrange, Rodophus's brother, were sitting in chairs. Bellatrix Lestrange, his wife, was pacing back and forth.

"Antonin." Rabastan said, nodding in his direction.

"What are you doing here?" Bellatrix asked him icily. "It's bad enough that we have the boy with us."

"We lost Wormtail. Your cousin interfered." Dolohov answered, making sure to match her tone. He gently laid himself down into a sofa, holding his injuries.

"Damn him." Bella hissed. "How did he find out?"

"I don't know." Dolohov admitted. "But we must let the Dark Lord know."

"You haven't heard, have you?" Rodolphus asked him.

That didn't sound good. "What do you mean?"

"There are rumors." Rodolphus said uncertainly. "Probably lies. But they say that… the Dark Lord is no more."

Dolohov felt a chill roll through his spine. No. It couldn't be true.

"What do you mean?" He asked desperately.

"They say that he was defeated." Rodolphus said sadly. "By the Potter boy. That somehow a little baby defeated the Dark Lord. It seems impossible, yet he is nowhere to be found, and the boy survived. And even the Dark Mark has gone silent."

Dolohov checked his wrist. There it was, the scar that marked him as a hand-picked follower of Lord Voldemort. It was the same as ever, yet it was completely different. Now, somehow, he felt nothing. Nothing at all. Like it was just a normal scar. Why hadn't he noticed before? It must have been the pain from his injury. He had been so focused on his ribs that he hadn't noticed his arm felt different. "It-It's true…"

"NO!" Bellatrix screamed. "LIES!"

"He can't be." Barty said softly. "He can't be gone." He was shivering in his seat despite it being comfortably warm in the room.

"He's not!" Bellatrix told him sharply. "He is still out there, waiting for us to return to him. We just need to go find him."

"How?" Rabistan asked her.

"I don't know." She said. "But we have to do something. We need to check the usual meeting spots, even the ones we don't use anymore. Anywhere he might have gone. And if he's not there, maybe someone else might know where he is." Bellatrix smiled, a wicked smile that held none of the warmth a smile usually had but was instead a wild fire of anger. "We just need to get someone to talk."

"Well while you guys check on the meeting places," Dolohov said, "I will check in on Lucius. He might know something."

"We will bring him back," Bella said with snarl. "No matter what."

The boy, Barty, echoed her, tears in his eyes. "Yes! Yes. No matter what."

The rat that scurried through the dirt and ash went unnoticed, even to the nearby large crowd. It was especially commendable considering that there were several wizards in the crowd, here to see the place where it had all happened. The Potter household. Or what was left of it, anyway.

Wormtail made it into his old friends' house unseen, and soon set to search for what he had come for. After several minutes he found it. The wand.

The rat dragged the magical piece of wood behind some rubble, then transformed. After a moment he was human again, a man that was supposed to be dead.

Peter Pettigrew.

He tenetively picked up the wand, looking around nervously to make sure that he wasn't seen. He couldn't afford to be seen now, or the whole world would find out that he was alive. And if they found out he was alive, then it became much easier for Sirius to get a confession out of him. But it was hard to make a dead man tell the truth, and if he was dead and they believed Sirius had killed him then they would never believe good old Sirius Black.

He slipped the wand, Voldemort's wand, into his coat pocket. He needed to keep it safe. Voldemort wasn't dead, couldn't be dead. He would be back, probably soon. And he would reward Wormtail greatly for keeping his wand safe… yesssss….

So until then Peter would hide, and wait for his master's return.

He transformed back into a rat and scurried away, off to find a hiding place for his master's wand.

Nov 4, 1981 (three days after Voldemort's disappearance)

Rubeus Hagrid tried and failed to wipe away the tears as he followed the two ministry wizards, guided by their Patronuses, into the prison. He still couldn't believe what had happened. James, and Lily, and poor baby Harry… how could they just be split up like that. It was horrible, it was wrong. Even now, everything that Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters had done was causing so much pain and heartbreak. And the person that had allowed all of this to happen, he was why Hagrid was here.

Hagrid could feel the chill, the despair, seeping through the walls. He hated it. But this was just the place for people like the Death Eaters. People like Sirius Black.

After what seemed like forever Hagrid and the others arrived at Sirius Black's cell. Inside was the man who was responsible for James and Lily Potter's deaths.

"Do ya hear me?" Hagrid asked, tears continuing to well in his eyes. "Black?"

The man stirred. He had been laying down, staring at the ceiling of his cell. He lifted his head enough to look at the door of his cell. "H- Hagrid?"

"Yes, ya ruddin' traitor!" Hagrid wailed. "It's me!"'

Several Dementors turned to this outburst. It wasn't often that emotion was found in Azkaban. It was something that they found quite… appetizing.

"Hagrid, calm down." One of the ministry wizards said, edging closer to his Patronus.

"A'ght, a'ight." Hagrid said to the wizard. He turned back to Sirius. "I have ter wonder, Sirius. When did it all change? I remember you and yer friends, runnin' round Hogwarts. Thick as thieves. You four were the best o' friends. So what happened?"

"My- My friends…"

"I been thinkin' bout it, an' the only thing I could come up with is that yer blood started ter show. Yer a Black through and through, aren't ya? Black blood, Black heart."

Hagrid grabbed the bars of Sirius's door angrily. "But it wasn't enough ter just be a traitor, was it? You had ter go and make sure that they died! YER BEST FRIEND! HOW COULD YOU!"

"Hagrid!" The first wizard said. "Calm yourself now!"

"You said it would just be a talk, Hagrid!" The second wizard pleaded.

"EVEN POOR HARRY! YOU WERE GONNA LET HIM DIE!" Hagrid wailed.

"Hagrid! This is enough!" The second wizard said, pulling out his wand. By now many of the prison's Dementors were swarming, intent upon the action. The Patronuses were weakening against the power of so many. "We are leaving now."

Hagrid wailed as he was led away by the two wizards.

Sirius watched them leave, muttering "Wasn't me… Wasn't me…"

Nov 6, 1981 (five days after Voldemort's disappearance)

Dumbledore hummed as he walked among the dark halls of Azkaban. He had been vocal against the Ministry of Magic using Dementors several times in the past, but they had disagreed, so he had been forced to cope with it. But even the Dementors feared him, keeping well away from the old wizard as he roamed the halls, accompanied only by his phoenix Patronus.

Dumbledore eventually found his way to Sirius's cell. He sat down comfortably in front of the door, and waited a minute, still humming cheerfully, before saying, "Mr. Black? Sorry to intrude, but I have come as a guest. Would you be so kind as to have a conversation with me?"

Sirius stirred, then sat up slowly. He was already quite pale, as if his skin was tightening against his body and becoming thinner. He crawled over to the door of his cell, and even that seemed to take enormous energy. "Albus…." He breathed out.

"Yes, Sirius." Dumbledore said gently. "It is I. Now are you willing to answer a few questions of mine?"

Slowly Sirius nodded.

"Good." Dumbledore said. "Sirius Black, why did you sell your friends out to Lord Voldemort?"

Sirius made a choking noise. He appeared to struggle for words, and Albus even noticed a tear fall down Sirius's cheek. "No… No… I.. Never.."

"Never what?" Dumbledore asked, "What did you never do?"

"Be- be-" Sirius let out a fit of coughing. "Betray."

"You didn't betray the Potters to Voldemort?" Dumbledore asked, scratching his chin.

Sirius nodded.

"Then what happened?" Albus asked. "If you didn't betray them, and no one else could, how did Voldemort find them?"

"P-p-p-peter…" Sirius managed to get out. "Se-Se…" He coughed again.

"Secret?" Dumbledore guessed. "Secret Keeper? Oh dear, you didn't make Peter the Secret Keeper, did you?" He shook his head. "It is a marvelous idea, I will admit, except that it depends on whether dear Mr. Pettigrew is trustworthy. Apparently not, I'm afraid."

Sirius nodded sadly.

"And that cost you your friends' lives. And then your reputation with your public. Everyone thinks you did it. No one would dare suspect our recent martyr Peter… and unfortunately all of the evidence is against you. This makes everything so very much more complicated, but to me it makes a lot more sense. I knew you were a true Gryffindor, and I'm sorry for doubting you these past few days. I'm sorry, Sirius, but there isn't much I can do to help you. I believe you, but I'm afraid few others, if any, would."

Sirius struggled, to talk, finally letting out, "Don't care. What a- Harry.."

Dumbledore nodded sadly. "I understand. I will make sure he is taken care of." He got up. "Thank you, Sirius, for our little chat. It made many things much clearer to me. But I'm afraid I must go." He bowed slightly, then turned and left. This time he wasn't humming.

Nov 9, 1981 (eight days since Voldemort's disappearance)

"Expecto Patronum." Remus said softly, holding out his wand. He walked down the dark halls, glancing at each prisoner, each as broken as the last. Azkaban was no place for mortal men. But who were the monsters? The prisoners, or the ones who feasted on them? Remus hoped for the latter, but wasn't as sure as he used to be.

He arrived at Sirius's cell, and looked inside. There was his old friend Padfoot, but he didn't look like he used to. Now he was much more… defeated. It wasn't the Sirius of old.

"Padfoot?" he asked softly. "You don't need to say anything. I just had some things to say to you." He sighed. "I kept telling myself not to come down here, to stay away. But I couldn't keep putting it off forever. So I wanted you to know, I don't know if I've ever been more wrong about anything else in my life. I thought I could trust you, James thought he could trust you, Peter thought he could trust you. Now James and Peter are dead, and I am all alone. In the span of a day, the Marauders went from four to one. And I can't help but blame myself for all of this. I know that it's not really my fault, that it was you. that it was You-Know-Who. Yet I can't help but look at all the times we had growing up. How did I not see who you really were? How did I not see what you had become? If only I could have warned James, then everything would be alright. But now he's dead, and Lily is too, and Peter, and now Harry is left an orphan. Why? Because of you." Remus leaned in close to the bars. "I hope you rot in this hell until the day you die, Sirius Black. You deserve every second of it."

He turned and left, leaving his friend to suffer in Azkaban for the rest of his life.

 **What did you think? Let me know in the reviews, and be sure to follow, fave, and check out my other stuff! Also, that Pokémon story idea that I mentioned before, I created some polls to do with it, and the links to those are on my profile page. If you want to have an impact on how that story shapes up, then please vote! Also, if you are interested in seeing me in another medium, check out The Loveless Gamer on YouTube. He's a good friend of mine, and makes some amazing stuff, it is definitely worth checking out. And like I alluded to a second ago, I am featured on it. I am one of the two white guys. Hint: my name is Lane. So please check that out, I guarantee you will like it. Sooooo, have a good day, hope you come back for more! Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7- The Trial

**Good to see y'all again, it's a blast to post this as always. This schedule that I put on myself has been a nightmare, but I've kept up with it so far somehow. You guys should know that there will be ten chapters total, so after this there will be three more and then we are done with Sirius's story. This may have been my first Harry Potter story, and that means a lot to me, but it won't be my last so if you enjoyed this keep an eye out for when I return to HP after this. But if you don't want to wait, I do have a few other stories you might be interested to try, so please check them out. For now, Enjoy!**

Chapter 7

A hand roughly grabbed Sirius Black's arm, waking him up in more ways than one. He was dragged to his feet and thrown out of the door of his cell by an unfamiliar wizard.

"C'mon, Black." The wizard said gruffly. "You have an appointment with justice."

Sirius allowed himself be carried down the hall by the wizard. He didn't really have the strength to resist, and if they were going to take him away from this place then he was absolutely fine with that. Most of the prisoners didn't care to watch him leave. Most were just lost in their own little worlds. But the Dementors….they were paying close attention. They wouldn't like that one of their prey was being stolen away from them.

Sirius noticed that he felt a little bit stronger than he had since he had gotten in here. Why was that? He weakly turned his head and noticed a Patronus. Probably this man's Patronus. It was a large dog, a German Shephard maybe. It was very comforting. It was strange to feel again, when he hadn't really felt anything in a long time. Azkaban does that to a man.

But he was still weak, and the nearby Dementors were still having an effect on him. He kept losing his strength and falling, and this Ministry wizard kept having to help him up. Eventually they managed to make it outside, at which the wizard, who Sirius suspected was a highly regarded Auror, firmly grasped Sirius's wrist.

"And here we go, Black." The wizard said to him. Suddenly everything disappeared, as though the world had fallen away, yet somehow it was all spinning. He couldn't breathe, and he was feeling extremely nauseous and dizzy.

Then suddenly it was back.

He vomited onto the floor, a very detailed and intricate one, he noted. He was shaking, something he had become used to since entering Azkaban, and taking deep breaths. He quickly noticed that it was a lot brighter here. Where was he?

"Alright, men." Someone said. "The situation is secure. You may put your wands down. But keep them ready. Black is very dangerous, and we don't want him to have even the slightest chance of escape."

The wizard who had brought Sirius here grabbed him by the arm again then lugged him along to wherever he was taking him. Sirius turned his head weakly and saw several other wizards surrounding them, all giving him uneasy glances. These were all likely Aurors as well. But what did they want him for?

He suddenly realized where they were. He hadn't been here often, and never to this part, but he knew that they were somewhere in the Ministry of Magic.

They lead him to a large set of double doors. One of the wizards pushed it open, allowing Sirius and his Auror guards to enter. Inside was something that reminded him of the old Roman colosseums. He was in a large pit, looking up to many rings of seats that formed a giant circle looking overhead on them.

Sirius knew where he was now, why he had been brought here. It was time for his trial.

He realized that he felt a little stronger, almost human again. The absence of Dementors was a huge relief to him, it had felt like a huge weight on his psyche. There was truly nothing like them in existence, and for that Sirius was glad. It was bad enough to have one creature that fed off of emotions, two would be overkill.

There weren't many people above, but maybe it just seemed like that because they were sparsely spread out among the many seats. Sirius recognized many of the ones who were there, including Cornelius Fudge, Barty Crouch, Mad-Eye Moody, Mafalda Hopkirk, and several others. Sirius even recognized Lucius Malfoy among them. How in the bloody hell did he manage to get here? Sirius and many others knew that he was a Death Eater, yet he was roaming free. Perhaps they had found no proof, or maybe he had bought his freedom. If anyone could buy his way out, it was Lucius.

Sirius was lead to a chair that sat in the middle of the chamber, which directly faced Crouch. Sirius felt a sinking feeling. Crouch presiding over this was not a good thing. He was known as a no nonsense man who craved justice, and wasn't going to let bureaucracy get in the way of serving it. Sirius had little to no chance of being found innocent in this court.

Sirius was thrown into the chair roughly by his guards, and two wrist clamps magically moved around his wrists, restraining him there. He wouldn't have had the strength to attempt an escape anyway. He could barely move his head on his own.

"Presiding over, Mr. Bartemius Crouch." Hopkirk said as an announcement to the rest of the court. "Mr. Crouch has been appointed judge over this trial, Black v The Magic Community. Black is accused of- "

Hopkirk was interrupted by a door opening loudly above, allowing two wizards into the court. "Sorry for the interruption." Dumbledore said with a bright smile. "We are a tad bit late, I'm afraid." He made his way down several rows to claim a seat next to his longtime friend Moody. Remus Lupin followed close behind like a shadow. His sandy haired friend looked even more gaunt than when Sirius had last seen him. He was actually starting to reach Snivellus-levels of pale.

Sirius tried to catch both of their gazes, hoping to find a friend here. Dumbledore met his eyes very briefly, then gave an almost imperceptible nod. Sirius doubted even Moody, with his magical eye, would have seen that. Remus made a point of looking at the wall behind Sirius, not looking at his friend.

Hopkirk cleared her throat, then continued with her announcement. "Mr. Black is accused of theft, multiple accounts of first degree murder, arson, terrorism, aiding a known enemy of the Magical Community, and general lawlessness. Mr. Crouch?"

Crouch leaned forward, his mustachio pulling downwards as he frowned. "How do you plead, Mr. Black?"

Sirius gulped. "I-innocent." He rasped.

"What was that, Mr. Black?" Crouch asked. Behind him, Lucius chuckled slightly.

"Innocent." Sirius said louder. He had to cough. Azkaban was killing his voice. "I plead innocent of-" he coughed again, this time a coughing fit. "all charges."

A few people gave him amused looks, and Lucius flat out laughed. Sirius saw Remus purse his lips, as though he was in great pain. He probably was.

Crouch crossed his arms, obviously not amused whatsoever. "So you plead innocent of, for example, being in league with You-Know-Who?"

Sirius nodded, his whole body shaking.

Crouch shook his head slightly. "Your lies won't work on us, Black. We have several witness testimonies, some from Death Eaters themselves, that you are in fact among them. Multiple witnesses are on record as to saying that not only were you among his followers, but you were in fact a fanatical terrorist wishing to serve your 'Master' the Dark Lord in whatever way you could. Do you have any evidence to counter this?"

Sirius's mind froze. Did he have any way of countering that? He remembered Dumbledore. He pointed weakly at the old wizard. "I- the Order- " coughing— "Ph- Phoenix- "

Crouch turned to Dumbledore. "Is this true?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Mr. Sirius Black was in fact a member of the Order of the Phoenix."

"Bloody spy, most like." Fudge commented loudly. Several other wizards nodded in agreement.

Sirius knew there was no hope then. He had no friends here, not even Remus. Dumbledore perhaps, but only him. But that was only one, and in court numbers win every time and Sirius certainly didn't have them.

"You claim for this to be proof of your innocence, yet you murdered one of your own. You killed Peter Pettigrew, who you claimed is your friend, one day after giving away the home of Lily and James Potter to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named himself! All three your friends, and you had them murdered, and almost had your very own godson murdered as well."

"I- I didn't- "

"I think we've heard enough." Crouch said. "It is time we called this to a vote." Several other wizards nodded, the ones that were apparently part of the jury.

"All voting innocent?" Hopkirk asked. No one raised a hand. "All voting guilty?" Several hands rose into the air. Hopkirk quickly counted them. "Thirteen, we have all thirteen." She told Crouch.

Crouch leaned forward, his eyes staring deep into Sirius's soul. "Sirius Black, I hereby pronounce you guilty of all charges."

"No…." Sirius gasped.

The Aurors grabbed him again, the chair letting him go, and they dragged him back to the door he had entered here from.

"I- I didn't…" he said before falling into another coughing fit.

"Next, Mr. Igor Karkaroff." Hopkirk announced behind him.

Sirius turned back to see Remus leaving, Lucius not far behind. They must have both come only to see his trial. More wizards were coming for Karkaroff's trial, and they quickly filled into the seats.

As Sirius passed through the door, he saw another man, who must be Karkaroff, waiting by the doorway with his own Auror guards. There were only two for this man, while Sirius himself seemed to be worth a dozen. Karkaroff nodded at him as they walked past. Sirius had neither the strength nor the desire to answer it.

How could they consider him to be one of these people?

 _I'm innocent…._

 _I'm innocent….._

 _Innocent…._

 **Let me know what you think with a review, thanks for reading! And please check out the stuff I mentioned before!**


	8. Chapter 8- The Prisoner

**Welcome back everyone! This is the eighth chapter of the story, and the plan is for there to be ten in all. In fact, I will be trying to get chapters 9 and 10 out in the same week this one arrives, to have the story finish all together. Please don't hold me too close to the same week thing. That is a best case scenario, and odds are I wont have the other two done by then. But dammit, im gonna try. I wanna finish this story in style!** **Anyway, enjoy!**

Chapter 8

There was the familiar rustle of metal as the door opened and the Dementor entered Sirius's cell. It gazed at him for a moment, seeping away what little energy he had. Then it set down his food and water. As hungry and thirsty as he was, Sirius couldn't find much motivation to go get his fill. Was there even any point to it anymore? Was there anything to his life left?

All he had was the knowledge that he was innocent.

It wasn't a happy thought, so the Dementors couldn't take it away. Yet it was still something that motivated him to push on. Without the knowledge of his innocence and his desire to prove it he might have given up and faded away long ago. He had seen many of his prison mates do just that. They would lose the will to live and just die. The guards always knew when death was coming for a prisoner. They would become restless and crowd the cell, trying to get the last bits of energy from the dying prisoner before they could no longer be used for sustenance. It was sad to see, but that was normal in Azkaban.

Sirius glanced up again when his door opened again. There was a Dementor with food and water for him. Hadn't he just got some? Oh well. The guard replaced the older lunch with the new one, then left once more. Sirius forced himself to crawl over and get some food and water in him. After he had finished he forced himself back over to the corner he had been sitting in before. That was a very familiar routine and by far the most interesting part of his day. The strange part about it however, was just how many times it occurred. Every day, just an endless stream of meals. Sirius couldn't stand it at times.

The cell that Sirius was in was very empty, with gray bricks that seemed black because of the dark, overcasting sky. There were a few bricks missing on the outside wall, allowing him to see outside of the prison. But all that was visible was just a dark, raging sea. Sirius didn't know where Azkaban was located, as he had never held a position in the Ministry. He could be anywhere in the world, and he could be so far away from the mainland that escape would be laughable even if it were possible. Any hope of escaping was just a faint delusion, there was no point in even trying.

Again the door opened, and the guard again placed down food and water. Now this was just annoying. The Dementor had just been here. Sirius forced it from his mind. He could eat later.

How long had he been here, he wondered? Sometimes it felt like week. Other times it felt like he had been here for several years. And even sometimes he felt like he had been here his entire life, and his life outside of Azkaban was just a dream he had come up with. The last possibility felt more likely with each passing day.

The door opened again, with the same results as before. Sirius was surprised that the guards here would feed the prisoners this much. It was very unlike them. And even though it meant more food for him, Sirius found it very annoying. How could he think of a way to prove his innocence or, even better, escape if he couldn't get a few moments to think? This truly was hell. Why did they keep doing this? Day after day, just an endless stream of meals. They must have fed him a million times by now.

He looked at the bars of his door. There were openings in between the bars, but there was no way he was fitting through there. What about the hole? No, also far too small. There was no way for a human to get out of here.

Wait…

Sirius had an idea, which the guards took notice of instantly. As they approached and the hope was drained away from him, Sirius realized that he didn't have to be human. If he could only gain the strength to use magic.

He crawled across his cell and picked up the water and brought it to his lips. It was only then that he noticed how thirsty he had been. Strange how easily this place could dilute his senses. Then he ate some of the moldy bread they had put out for him, feeling somewhat stronger. He took a deep breath, then transformed. It was agonizing, because of the condition he was in and how long it had been since he had transformed last. In mere moments he had gone from man to dog, a trick he had picked up back in school along with his friends. He was what was known as an Animagus to the rest of the wizarding world. This was someone who had a degree in expertise in Transfiguration that they were able to transform themselves into an animal. Sirius could turn into a dog, which to his own humor of being a pureblood Black, was a mutt. James could turn into a stag, and Peter could turn into a rat. Remus of course did not need to change, already able to turn into werewolf.

Sirius didn't know how to explain it, but somehow he felt stronger. He realized that he wasn't actually strengthened by becoming a dog, but somehow desensitized to the effect the Dementors had on him. He could think clearer than he had in a long, long time.

One of the Dementors approached the door to his cell, looking in. it must have realized something had changed. Sirius tensed up. Even though he was affected differently now, he was still affected. He couldn't help but shudder as the Dementor (presumably) stared at him. Finally, it turned around and left, taking its dreary presence with it. Sirius let out a deep breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding, or even realized he could hold, being a dog.

He could actually think now, and ask questions. Why did he seem to be less affected? Was it to do with being a dog? Why would dogs be more able to stand against a Dementor? Sirius suddenly remembered something Dumbledore had said a long time ago, back at Hogwarts. _Dementors are truly devious creatures, predators solely of man himself. It is almost as if they were created to keep us in check from overstepping our bounds as a species._ As a dog he couldn't be affected, at least not to the same extent. He could think again, perhaps even change back briefly at times and perform magic if he built up his strength again. But how could he use this to his advantage?

He realized that it had been far too long since he had been brought any food or water. They had been in the annoying habit of bringing him food and drink at an annoying rate, something that he really didn't expect of a place like Azkaban. But why had they stopped? Was it because he was a dog? Surely they would have noticed a change in him, but why would they change the rate they were feeding him at? Something was off here…

Wait.

That was it.

Something was off. But it wasn't the Dementors that had changed. It was him. He could think again. He was somewhat back to his old self. But before now, he had been lost in the pain and misery that was Azkaban. What if… what if each time they had brought him a meal, a day had passed?

He shuddered. Those moments had just passed by, the only thing breaking the monotone of this prison. He hadn't realized just how much time had passed, just how many meals had come his way. How many he had left uneaten, thinking he had just had food. Not realizing that it was a new day each time they came by. How long had it gone on?

How long had he been here?

Sirius continued asking himself that question over the next few weeks, until finally a Ministry wizard came by the dark halls one day, escorting some new prisoner. Sirius, in human form, sprang up to the cell door.

"Excuse me, sir. Could you tell me the date?"

The wizard gave him annoyed look over, as if surprised a prisoner would even speak. He answered gruffly, "May 11."

"And what year is it, please?"

"Don't think I don't know who you are. Sirius Black. The murderer. You aren't getting out of here in this lifetime, so there ain't no reason for you to be keeping dates."

"Please…"

The man sighed. "Fine. If you must know, it is 1992." Then he walked off before Sirius could ask anything else.

Sirius couldn't believe what he had just heard. It couldn't be true. 1992? No. No. Nononnonono. He knew it had been a while, but ten and a half years? How could time have slipped away so much while he was here? He shuddered. It was a good thing he had tried his dog form when he did. He might have died here without even realizing what was happening otherwise.

It just seemed like so much had been wasted. Over ten years since he had been betrayed by Peter. Over ten years since he had been framed for a murder he never committed. Ten years that he had spent rotting away in a jail cell. His life was wasted. Peter ruined it. His teeth grinded against each other. Why did things like this have to happen to him? He was a good person; loyal to his friends, kind to those who weren't, and genuinely tried to help the world the only way he knew how. So why would the universe repay him by taking away everything he cared about? This wasn't fair. This wasn't how karma was supposed to work.

"Guess nice guys do finish last." He muttered to himself.

He knew one thing for sure. He didn't want to die here. If he could, he would find a way to escape and clear his name. And he would find Peter if he could, and make him pay. Pay for James and Lily, pay for himself, and most of all, pay for Harry. Sirius still couldn't fathom what would make turning a young boy into an orphan a good idea in Wormtail's head. How could he even do that? Sirius was disgusted.

That was what made up the next year of Sirius's life. Just sitting in his cell in Azkaban, thinking. Trying to go stronger. To make something of the broken shambles that his life had become. But most of all, just trying to survive his own guilt, his own regrets. Hope would burn away like a candle in the rain. Happiness would disappear. But guilt, hate, regret, fear… those never left him. If anything, this place made them stronger. He would spend countless hours just being angry at no particular thing, just wanting things to be different. He hated life.

Then everything changed the next summer. One morning none other than Cornelius Fudge himself, Minister of Magic, came walking down the halls of Azkaban, with a small army of Aurors as protection. Sirius saw a newspaper in the Minister's hand and couldn't help but ask for it. Maybe doing some crosswords or something could alleviate his torture here, just a little bit. Also, it gave him a chance to see what was happening in the world.

Surprised, Fudge gave it away to Sirius. Sirius hummed as he perused the Daily Prophet, scanning for anything interesting. But then again, anything was interesting compared to what he had to deal with here. Compared to his daily life, every single article in here was an absolute delight.

He froze when he noticed something. On a picture was a large family of redheads, the Weasleys, who had won a vacation to Egypt. Sirius thought that many of the Weasleys he had met were kind, if rather strange, people. But it wasn't them that he noticed. In one boys hand was a small rat, apparently a pet. But Sirius would recognize that rat anywhere. And just to prove that he wasn't crazy, he looked closely and sure enough, it was missing a front toe.

"He's alive." Sirius breathed heavily. "After all these years I've found you, Peter. I've found you." his expression darkened. "Now it's time to commit the murder that I was sentenced for."

 **Let me know what you thought with a review! Seriously, I need you guys to give me some reviews here. This story somehow has still gone without even a single review. Is my story not deserving of even the slightest of reactions? C'mon guys, please give me something. Even if its just something random, like "dinosaur purple thunder" or something like that, it would be hugely appreciated. Seriously, it would mean a lot to me to hear from you guys. Well, that's enough talking. See you in the next chapter!**


	9. Chapter 9- The Escape

**Welcome back guys! And thank you! Now, for the first time since I started this thing, I actually have reviews! I have been surprised at just how much that it was getting to me that even though I've gotten a few faves and follows, I hadn't gotten a single review. But now that dark, dark, DARK time is over. Anyway, here is chapter nine. Enjoy!**

Chapter 9

It had been two weeks since he had first seen that picture, but now Sirius was ready. He had a plan. It was crazy, and likely wouldn't work. Honestly, how could it work? If it was possible to escape from Azkaban it would likely have been done by now, right? But still, he had to try.

As far as his long term plan, he needed to get out of here and find his way back to civilization. He would have to be a fugitive, at least until his name was cleared, and possibly maybe even after. Sirius would need to hide in the countryside and find that family that Peter was hiding with. The Weasleys. He would need to find their home and sneak inside, and then finish off Peter. Or maybe he should force Peter to reveal himself first, which would clear Sirius of the murder charges. But that would be incredibly dangerous, both to himself and to the family that Peter was hiding with. Sirius knew for a fact that Wormtail wouldn't be above hurting those innocent people if it saved his sorry skin. But Sirius knew that he himself was above that. He couldn't risk those people's lives for his own reputation.

"There has been enough pain and suffering at your hand, Peter." Sirius muttered to himself. "Is my name worth putting those people in harm's way? No. I can't afford to let you hurt them." He sighed. He would have to kill Peter at the very first opportunity he could get. There wasn't a choice when innocent people's lives were on the line. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if one of those kids died because Sirius took an unnecessary risk just to clear his name.

But before he found the Weasleys, Sirius would need to get ahold of a wand. This seemed like a daunting task for him, considering that even if he did find one he could use, it wouldn't be very compatible with him. He wished he could use his own, but there was no way in hell that he would be able to get it out of wherever they were keeping it in the Ministry. He would never make it that far. Of course, that was just another impossible task to go along with breaking out of Azkaban, he supposed. Maybe if he got out he could go try to get his wand, just to tempt fate twice. Another possibility would be to try to make his way to Ollivander's shop, and procure a new wand of his own. That was also a likely impossible task, because he would be hard pressed to make it through Diagon Alley to reach the shop, and Ollivander would refuse to help a wanted criminal arm himself. Not that Sirius blamed him. He supposed trying to steal a wand from the shop was possible as well, but he wouldn't know how to find one that was compatible with him without an expert like Ollivander.

So it would be a lot easier to just find a wand on the outside. Just find a wand in some wizard's home, borrow it, do the deed he meant to do, then return it to the rightful owner. But that too was incredibly dangerous. Wizards tended to be very protective of their wands, and whoever it was Sirius tried to get one from would likely fight to the death to retain theirs. Or, more likely, Sirius's death. It wasn't likely that he could fight more than a small child in the state he was in. He would probably just have to hope he wouldn't need a knife to kill Peter.

"Look at me." He muttered to himself. "Planning what I'll do when I get out and I haven't even escaped yet. Not to mention, of course, that it is impossible to escape. God, I am a fool."

But there was nothing stopping him from trying. What was the worst they could do to him anyway? Give him a lifetime sentence here? He already had it. He had nothing to lose. And if he succeeded…. Maybe he could right some wrongs. Share some of the truth of what had happened all those years ago. Make a difference in the world.

And now was the time. For the past two weeks he had been gradually starving himself. He was already quite thin, but there wasn't much room in between the bars of his door. His plan was to get himself as frail and thin as he could manage, turn into a dog, and see if he could fit. It was simple and unlikely to work, but Sirius supposed no one had ever tried escaping as a dog. He would be the first at that, if nothing else. But what he was really worried about was if he could manage to get out of the prison itself and where he would go from there. From what he could tell the Dementors roamed the halls often, sucking the happiness away from every prisoner in their vicinity. It was crowded with the horrible creatures. The prison itself was a multistory labyrinth that Sirius didn't know his way around. Then outside was a raging sea that would be next to impossible to swim though. Sirius didn't know if he would have the strength for it since he had been starving himself so much lately. He would just have to suck it up and pull through.

Sirius figured he had waited long enough. He transformed into a dog, then padded over to the cell door. He pressed his body against the bars, trying to force his way through. He was actually very close to fitting, but he was just barely too large for it to work. He strained against the door, willing himself onward. He managed to get his shoulders through, and from there it was easy.

With a small pop the rest of him came through. He wanted to laugh, but was a dog at the moment and thus unable to. Somehow, against all odds, he had gotten out of his cell. He didn't know if anyone had ever gotten this far before. He, Sirius Black, was free for the first time since Peter had faked his death.

The Dementors quickly picked up that something was amiss. Three of them glided over from a nearby stairwell, coming to check on his cell. They always noticed when Sirius changed into a dog, they always investigated every time he did. He didn't think they liked it at all. But they also must have noticed the unusual amount of brain activity his escape must have caused. They would be very curious about the situation.

They glided right by him as he pressed against the wall, trying not to draw their attention. Two didn't pay him any mind, but one stopped short and gazed at the dog that had found its way into Azkaban. Sirius froze. He didn't want to give any reason for them to attack. Hopefully if he stayed still they might leave him alone.

Luckily, the curious Dementor seemed to decide it had a more important job to do. It reluctantly followed its comrades to Sirius's cell. Sirius would have let out a sigh of relief if he had been physically able to. Instead, he settled for walking quietly to the stairwell, hoping not to draw their attention.

At the stairwell he stopped and looked back at the Dementors. The three were all looking into the cell, and glancing at each other. If he didn't know any better, Sirius could have sworn they were having a silent but heated discussion. Was this how they communicated?

His thoughts were cut short when all three turned in unison towards the stairwell. Like the wraiths of the stories inspired by them, the Dementors glided forward eerily, gaining ground quickly on Sirius.

Sirius yelped then jumped into action. He sprinted his way down the stairs to the next level, then to the next. The three Dementors were close behind, and more were on their way. Naturally faster, the Dementors were able to harass him as he ran, absorbing what they could from him when they got close enough. Sirius quickly tried to come up with a plan, knowing if he didn't he would soon be subjected to the dreaded Dementor's Kiss. Normally he would try to find a way to lose them, but that wouldn't be easy when they were faster than him. Also, he didn't know the layout of the prison, while the Dementors had been guarding it for God knows how long. There wasn't really anywhere he could go that they didn't know much better, so he was at a significant disadvantage here.

Did he have any advantages? All he could think of was the fact that as a dog they couldn't sense him quite as well as other humans. Could he use that in any way to help him?

As he passed another floor of prison cells, an idea crept into Sirius's mind. Maybe there was a way he could use his relative ambiguity. If he could get lost amongst other humans maybe they wouldn't be able to find him as easy.

Sirius leapt down another flight of stairs, Dementors hot on his heels. By now it was much more than three, but Sirius didn't dare look behind to check. He didn't need to look to feel the monstrous storm of negative energy behind him. It was like all evil and hate had been condensed into one area, and it was all intent to get to Sirius no matter what.

He threw them off temporarily when, instead of continuing down the stairs, he darted down the prison cell block, heading to the nearest cell. He squeezed himself through the bars, forcing himself into the cell with the prisoner. He popped through, pressing himself against the far wall. He spun around to see dozens of Dementors fly past, in search of him.

It had worked, somehow. They had overlooked him. The Dementors slowed, down, looking in a confused manner. Sirius didn't move a muscle, hoping that they didn't search this cell. He glanced over to see who was in here. To his great surprise he saw a very familiar face. Bellatrix Lestrange, his cousin.

She looked like a mess. Her cruel beauty that had defined her as a young woman had been robbed away by Azkaban, and she looked like she hadn't taken a shower in years. Granted, Sirius could not say that he had done any better, and he likely looked just as bad. She was staring at him like a dog was the last thing she had expected to see. But that was all she did. The Bellatrix he remembered would have reacted with contempt to see a such a mangy dog, but now it was like she was a zombie. Not so long ago, Sirius had been the same way. If he hadn't tried his Animagus powers one more time he might never have escaped. Or, he realized, got himself caught again. The irony that he was hiding from the prison guards within a prison cell was not lost on him.

He waited for about an hour, letting the Dementors disperse, looking for him. When the hall was all but clear, he forced his way out of Bella's cell. He gave her one last look, as she watched him with a disinterested and vacant expression. Then he left.

He tried to be stealthier leaving this time. He made it down a few more flights before he noticed that there were signs, around human eye level, that revealed how high up they were. Sirius was currently on the thirty-first floor, with much of the prison to go before he reached the bottom. That was a lot of Dementors.

He snuck down each floor, trying not to draw attention. It was easy enough to go unseen. But from what he could tell, they didn't operate on sight. Sirius suspected that they were actually blind, and instead searched for him with their ability to sense emotions and brain activity. And as hard as he tried to be stealthy, hiding behind a wall could only help him so much here. The Dementors were slowly realizing that someone was going down the stairs, and at around the tenth floor they finally attacked.

Sirius broke into a sprint, with several Dementors close behind. The ninth floor passed by, then the eighth. More and more Dementors joined in as he got lower and lower. Sirius was getting slower with each added pursuer, as they drained away at him. It was just too much pressure on his mind, making everything hopeless.

He couldn't take it anymore and stumbled. He whimpered, rolling over as the Dementors crowded him. Even as a dog he couldn't take the pressure of their presence anymore. He had failed, and he was going to die here. Or whatever happened when you received the Kiss.

He might have, if he hadn't noticed a sign above him. A big, bold two was labeled on it. The second floor? He had made it this far? His head turned to the stairs leading down. The last stairs. He was so close.

He forced himself back to his feet. He was so close, and he wasn't going to be stopped here. He pushed himself hard, trying to get his body to move. Paw by paw, he made his way down the stairs, the Dementors swirling like a tornado above him. He tried to think of something to motivate him, anything at all. A reason to push himself on.

Peter? He tried to think about killing Wormtail, bringing justice to his name and everything Peter had to atone for. But it wasn't enough.

James? Sirius tried to focus on his friend, and about all of the memories they had been through together. But the Dementors were too close, and Sirius found it impossible to think of happier times. It wasn't enough.

Remus? Sirius tried to think of winning his friend back, the only one he had left. He could have a future there, someone who might still care about him. But not even that was enough.

In the end there was only one thing that Sirius could focus on to give him the strength to get out of Azkaban. He had to do this for his godson.

Harry.

He roared (it came out as a bark) and pushed his failing body into action, throwing himself down to the bottom floor. He saw a dark but elaborate doorway in front of him, with no actual doors. Sirius forced himself into a limp towards the door, making his way through.

He had done it. He had escaped Azkaban. Concrete changed to hard rock, and the black roof turned into a stormy gray sky above. For the first time in almost twelve years, Sirius Black was free a free man.

But he knew it wasn't as simple as this. Knowing that the Dementors were still after him, Sirius bounded for the choppy water of the ocean. Hoping he wouldn't be immediately be thrown back into the rocks, he leapt in.

He doggy paddled through the rough waves, trying to keep from drowning. Unfortunately, the Dementors didn't have to face a similar issue. They poured out of Azkaban like angry bees, swirling into the sky. Sirius worked to put some distance in between him and that horrible place. he just hoped that he was heading towards land.

He kept that up for about an hour, only stopping to swim underwater when any Dementors drew close. But he was weak, and he couldn't keep that up forever. When he couldn't take it anymore he drifted off. He hoped he would still wake up afterwards.

 _I'm sorry, Harry._ Sirius thought. _I wasn't strong enough._

Sirius woke up to the sound of birds. Seagulls, he realized. How strange. They never come around Azkaban.

Azkaban, he realized. He quickly sat up, in human form, and looked around. He was sitting on a beach, with the bright sun beating down on him and waves cascading past him. He grinned, feeling happiness for the first time since he had escaped. He was free! He laughed, grabbing at the sand to make sure it was real. It was so strange and amazing to _feel_ again. He loved it. He didn't want to ever lose it again.

But now he had a job to do.

"I'm coming for you, Peter." Sirius said, feeling determined. "And then I'm coming for you, Harry."

 **So there you have it. Sirius is free, and he is on his way to kill Peter and reunite with Harry. I'll be honest, I was kind of hoping to make his escape a bit more exciting than it was, but I'm still happy with how it turned out and hopefully you guys were too. Let me know with a review if you were, and if you liked it fave and follow please. If you liked my writing style you should check out my other stuff on this site (you don't have to, but if you want to). This is currently the only thing I have for Harry Potter, but I have some stuff for Avatar/Korra and Star Wars if you want to check those out. Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it, and remember to join the dark side and join me as a Darth (we have cookies!).**


	10. Chapter 10- The Fugitive

**Well, this is it. The final chapter. It's been a blast to write, and I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as I have writing it. Thanks for everything guys. Enjoy!**

 **P.S. to the writer of the guest review, the grandson typo in Chapter 9 has been fixed. Thank you for pointing that out, it slipped right by me!**

OBH Chapter 10

An owl arrived with a screech in the window of the tall tower. It flapped over to the sole occupant of the room, settling onto their shoulder. They gently closed the book they had been reading, then retrieved the letter the owl had brought to them.

"Interesting." Albus Dumbledore said as he opened the letter. "What do you have for me, Cornelius?"

 _Dear Albus,_

 _I must alert you that the notorious murderer Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban. The Auror Office is baffled about how this could have occurred, and the Dementors have been less than helpful on the matter. But regardless of how it happened, we must face the fact that he is free and on the move. We don't know what his goals may be, but we can suspect a few things. As you know, he was a powerful and devoted supporter of You-Know-Who that was acting as a spy while a member of the Order of the Phoenix. He is directly responsible for the murders of James and Lily Potter, as well as murdering Peter Pettigrew and several Muggles himself. He would have had young Harry Potter as well, but we all know how that turned out. So, knowing this, we can suspect that he could have the following agenda:_

 _Killing the Prime Minister, as in me_

 _Killing you_

 _Killing surviving members of the Order and key figures in the Auror Office_

 _Killing any other wizards of note that could hurt our society_

 _General lawlessness_

 _Chaos among our world_

 _Building a new Dark Order around himself in the vein of his fallen master_

 _And of course, the most plausible and in some respects, scary goal, killing Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived_

 _We need to take whatever precautions we can to disrupt his plans, and make all efforts to capture him as soon as possible. And I mean all efforts. I know you will not like this, but I am going to give the guards the rights to search the countryside for Black. I don't like it much myself, but between them and the vast majority of the Aurors we have out looking for him we are bound to find him soon. I will also be informing the Muggle Prime Minister about the situation, so that we can have Muggle eyes looking as well, along with inform them of the danger in dealing with Black. That should save some lives as well as widen our search net. I won't tell him the particulars, of course, I don't think he would be able to wrap his head around it, but I will let him know that Black is dangerous and needs to be brought in as soon as possible. That should suffice. Now, one thing I would ask advice for you on, is what shall we do about Potter? I strongly think we should bring in more protection around him with Black on the loose. I know you won't stand for Dementors, but we can perhaps put some of the top Aurors on the case of protecting the boy. I won't give the order until I have heard from you, and I do hope I have your support on this. The last thing we need is strife amongst ourselves. Also, I'm considering meeting with Potter myself soon._

 _Looking forward to your thoughts on the matter,_

 _Cornelius Fudge, Prime Minister of Magic_

Dumbledore chuckled. "So you actually managed it, Mr. Black. That is quite a feat. I'm not sure how I could escape myself, even with all the magic I know. But you were always a creative and ingenious student. Few of the people I have had the pleasure to teach have been quite as interesting as you." he let out a sigh, pulling out a piece of parchment and a quill to compose his response to the Minister. "I only hope what you told me is true, Sirius. I would like to believe you were not the traitor you have been branded to be."

Sirius slowly opened the door to the Muggle home, after using the street skills he had picked up in the last couple of weeks to pick the lock. It was amazing how much better he felt after he had gotten away from Azkaban. He hadn't been able to tell just how little thinking he had been doing at the prison. Even when he had gotten his mind back by turning into a dog he had been moving at a snail's pace compared to now. He finally felt like himself again, and he had spent his freedom trying to enjoy as much as he could while on his way to his godson's home. Just small things, like eating a cracker, or the feel of sunlight on your skin, were just so incredibly good to feel again. How could he have ever taken this for granted all of those years ago? How could he not have felt the grass beneath his feet and breathe clean air while gazing at that beautiful lake that lay by Hogwarts and not felt blessed? These things, and millions of others, they were so amazing, and he just took them for granted. Sirius wished he had used his time before more wisely, had loved the people around him more. Of course, the younger Sirius didn't know what he knew now. That he would end up alone and nearly broken, bent on redeeming the thing that had ruined his life.

He slipped in and immediately headed to the kitchen. Thankfully the family was in bed now. It would have been very problematic if one of the people living here had been watching the television or some other thing that Muggles do. Strange creatures, them. Sirius opened the fridge to find a delicacy of pleasant food. Yet another thing that he appreciated so much more now, fine eating. He quickly assembled the necessary items to make a nice sandwich, eating it without much fanfare. It was more delicious than he could have ever imagined before his imprisonment.

So far he had survived mostly by sticking to his dog form, only being human when he needed to or when it was safe. He had lost count of how many times he had thanked Remus in his head. If he had never become friends with a werewolf and one of the best people he had ever known, he never would have made it this far. Truly, he owed so much to Moony.

He was sure everyone was looking for him, but no one was really taking notice of a mangy dog. Who would? It was just another stray looking for food and maybe a home. Essentially, just something to ignore. But that worked to Sirius's advantage. Not even the Dementors would look for him in that form. He was relatively safe to travel, and that helped him get closer and closer to his goal.

 _And now_ , Sirius thought as he chewed on the last bite of his sandwich, _I finally made it here._ He cleaned away the last signs that he had entered the household then made his way up the stairwell, noting the cupboard under the stairs. He silently passed one bedroom, where he could hear what heard like a large man snoring, then heard the same in the next room. Confused, Sirius quietly opened the door to reveal a very large woman sleeping in the bed, snoring like there was no tomorrow. It was amazing that anyone could sleep in this house, with all the noisy snoring. Sirius moved on to the next room, noticing that this room also held snoring. He frowned. This had to be some sort of joke. But sure enough, when he opened the door there was a fat boy inside, snoring much like the large woman in the previous room.

Sirius moved on to the last bedroom in the home. Fourth time was the charm, right? He opened it, first noticing that there was no snoring like the previous rooms. Something was different about this one. Sirius walked into the room, eyes on the bed that held the room's lone occupant. That face…

He almost cried. That face was so familiar, the brightest part of his childhood. His best friend's face. He looked just like James. Sirius felt his heart tugging in all directions, as if he was feeling his friend's death all over again. Harry just looked exactly like his father had at that age, it was incredible.

"it's been about twelve years since I've seen you, Harry." Sirius said softly. "You look just like James did. Merlin's beard, it's just uncanny. Look, I know you won't know I was ever here, and I know you won't hear any of this. But I need to tell you some things. I-" Sirius choked up, slipping to one knee. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that your parents died, I truly am. I tried to protect them, but I protected against the wrong things. It's my fault that they are dead Harry. I didn't do it myself, but I was the one who gave Peter the power to betray them. So it's my fault. And for that I am truly sorry. They would still be alive if they hadn't trusted me. You probably hate me, and you should. Just not for the reasons you've been told. I just wanted to apologize. And Harry, I will do my best to keep you from harm from here on out. I wasn't able to be there for you like James and Lily wanted, but I will find a way to be there for you. I just need to clear my name first and then maybe I can finally rebuild everything that Wormtail destroyed. Until then, I will have to leave. Goodbye, Harry. Hopefully I can fix this soon."

He shakily stood back up, and left the room with one last look at his best friend's son. He closed the door and made his way back downstairs as quiet as a ghost. Now he had a job to do. He made his way to the kitchen, opening up a drawer and pulling out a knife. This would do. He exited the Muggle household, blending into the night.

Now all that was left was to make his way to the Weasley household and finish this. He was so close now, so close to finishing the deed he had set himself upon so long ago. Now he could finally put his demons to rest.

"I'm coming for you Peter." Sirius muttered. "Framing me couldn't keep me down. Hiding can't save you. Not even Azkaban could contain me. I hope you are ready, because your time has come. It's time to pay for what you've done." With that he transformed into a dog, intent on its hunt. He had become Grim.

 **The End. Damn, it is really weird to have this finished. This is actually the first multi-chapter story that I have finished, so this is new to me. This is the last time I'm going to talk to you guys here, and I have no idea what to say. Thanks for reading, truly. Thank you. it is amazing that people would actually give this the time of day, and I really am thankful that you are willing to do this. I will miss you guys. But it's not all sad. I assure you, this won't be my last foray in the Wizarding World, although I might not return for anything more than a one shot for a while. It's not that I don't want to write about the Harry Potter world, its more that I am already juggling a few stories, and I won't have the time to write more for HP for a little while. But if you like my writing, you can still check out some of the other stuff I am working on, if you would like. I'd appreciate it. Well, I don't really have much else I can think of to say, so…**

 **Goodbye!**

 **Also, join the Dark Side! Fresh, delicious cookies await you!**


End file.
